Give your old glasses a new life (Our Bright Green Future News November 2026)

Key points

• Old glasses cannot go in household recycling bins because they are made from mixed plastics and metals. Many optometrists, including Specsavers, take part in the Opticycle program, which accepts prescription and non-prescription glasses.
• Some stores also take contact lens blister packs. The glasses are separated into lenses and frames, and the materials are recovered.
• They are then used to make products such as pavers, bricks, blocks and eco-aggregates, while metals are recycled into new uses. Recycle Mate can help people find a nearby drop-off point.