Recycling contact lens waste

The College has joined the Acuvue Contact Lens Recycling Programme which means that the College’s waste contact lenses, empty solution bottles, plastic film and pods now get recycled.

The national recycling programme, in partnership with TerraCycle, has collected over 11 million pairs of contact lens blister packs and foil covers since its launch in 2019.

College technician, Mark Turner, said: “We learnt about this scheme thorough one of our students attending on block whose practice takes part and believed this would be useful information to pass on to other students.

“It was easy to join the scheme and I think it is a thoughtful and productive way to use and recycle our resources further, as we already split our cardboard and plastics.”

The national initiative also allows contact lens wearers to drop their contact lens waste off at their nearest participating practice. More information on participating in the scheme can be found on www.acuvue.co.uk/recycle