One of the things we are always told when people do beach clean ups is that they find loads of discarded contact lens. Now Black & Lizars is trying to address the problem by encouraging customers to reduce pollution and recycle contact lenses.
The Scottish optician has joined the ACUVUE Contact Lens Recycling Scheme and has installed recycling bins at all 12 stores across Edinburgh and Glasgow urging 8,000 contact lens wearing customers to dispose of their lenses properly.
Every year, Scots flush millions of contact lenses down the toilet or sink which eventually make their way into the sea. Black & Lizars aims to recycle 30,000 lenses by the end of the year as part of the UK-wide ACUVUE scheme. ACUVUE hopes to recycle 2.3million contacts across Scotland by the end of 2019. Black & Lizars will also invest in a new campaign to educate them on the damage caused to the environment by improper disposal.
Graham Freeman, Clinical Services Manager at Black & Lizars, said: “We are only starting to fully understand the harm plastic has on the environment, and particularly our oceans.
“While there has been a lot of work done to educate people on plastic straws and single-use bags, other household items have not received the same attention.
“When you consider that there are some four million contact lens wearers in the UK, and with more than 20% admitting to flushing them down the toilet on a regular basis, you begin to comprehend the extent of the environmental impact.
“We know that people want to be more environmentally conscious, but there is still a lot to be done to properly educate people on the simple steps they can take.
“We’re helping customers to make a difference. All they’ll need to do is bring their used contact lenses to their local practice and we’ll take care of the rest.”
For more information please visit www.blackandlizars.com
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
