Over 65 million units of contact lens and eye care materials recycled through recycling initiatives

The programs are made possible through a collaboration with TerraCycle, a world leader in the collection and repurposing of hard-to-recycle waste (Rawpixel.com / Adobe Stock)

Bausch + Lomb recently announced its ONE by ONE and Biotrue Eye Care Recycling programs have recycled a combined 65.8 million units—or 397,194 pounds—of used contact lenses, eye care and lens care materials. This amount is equivalent to the weight of 3 commercial-sized airplanes.

“Contact lenses, eye care, and lens care materials are often not processed in standard recycling facilities due to their small size and the type of plastic used to manufacture them. As a result, they can potentially end up in landfills or waterways and contribute to plastic pollution,” said Amy Butler, vice president, Global Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability, Bausch + Lomb.

“We created the ONE by ONE program—and later extended our efforts with the Biotrue Eye Care Recycling program—to provide eye care practitioners and their patients with a way to properly recycle these used materials and help prevent them from ending up in our environment. Now, with nearly 13,000 eye doctors’ offices participating as official Bausch + Lomb recycling centers and contributions from consumers all over the nation, we can take these once forgotten waste streams and use the millions of materials to create various post-consumer products like picnic tables and benches.”

Since its launch in 2016, the ONE by ONE Recycling program has collected more than 65 million units of used contact lenses, top foils, and blister packs.

The Biotrue Eye Care Recycling program—the first and only eye care recycling program in the United States— launched in 2021 and has collected more than 440,000 eye drop single dose units, lens cases, and lens solution caps, as well as Biotrue Hydration Boost lubricant eye drops multi-dose bottles. (Lens solution bottles can be recycled through standard recycling in accordance with local recycling guidelines).

“The Bausch + Lomb ONE by ONE and Biotrue Eye Care recycling programs are complementary and an integral part of our practice’s approach to sustainability, as they allow us to contribute to the collection of these materials for proper recycling," said Gina Wesley, O.D., Complete Eye Care, Medina, Minn.

"My patients also appreciate hearing about these programs during their appointments, and many of them bring their used eye health materials to our practice to help minimize the waste these materials generate. Through these Bausch + Lomb programs, my practice can help make a difference in our environment.”

The programs are made possible through a collaboration with TerraCycle, a world leader in the collection and repurposing of hard-to-recycle waste.

“In my 25 years at Bausch + Lomb, I have had the great privilege to be a part of the significant strides that we have made in our sustainability initiatives, including our waste management efforts and our ONE by ONE and Biotrue Eye Care Recycling programs," said Amy Butler, vice president, Global Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability, Bausch + Lomb.

"We’re proud to recognize Earth Day this year by showcasing the impact that these recycling programs have had to date – a combined 397,194 pounds, the weight of 28 full grown African elephants. Because of these programs, these non-biodegradable materials are not ending up in our environment. Instead, they are being used to make a variety of creative post-consumer products.”

In addition to the United States, Bausch + Lomb has a similar contact lens recycling program in Canada called Every Contact Counts.

For more information on the Bausch + Lomb ONE by ONE Recycling program, visit www.bauschrecycles.com. For more information on the Biotrue® Eye Care Recycling program, visit www.biotrue.com/terracycle.