NEW YORK—Bausch + Lomb announced earlier this month that its exclusive One by One Recycling Program has recycled a combined total of more than five million units of used contact lenses, blister packs and top foils since the program’s inception in November 2016. The program is made possible through a collaboration with TerraCycle, a company that collects and repurposes hard-to-recycle post-consumer waste. Bausch + Lomb and TerraCycle said they have diverted nearly 31,000 pounds of used contact lenses, blister packs and top foils to date, the equivalent of approximately two and a half times the weight of an elephant, from oceans, lakes, streams and landfills. “In two years, we’ve made significant strides in raising awareness and collecting used contact lens material waste through the Bausch + Lomb One by One Recycling Program across the nation,” said John Ferris, general manager, U.S. vision care, Bausch + Lomb. “It is a reflection of our company-wide commitment to becoming a more sustainable company by reducing our environmental footprint and we thank all our customers and their patients for their participation. We’ve also been pleased to hear that this program has been a practice builder for many of our customers who find their patients appreciate their concern and attention to how these materials are impacting the environment.” In August 2018, Arizona State University published a study stating that up to 20 percent of consumers in the U.S. flush their contact lens waste down the drain, contributing to a potential total of 3.36 billion contact lenses in the environment. While contact lens materials are recyclable, when placed into regular curbside recycling bins, their small size causes them to be filtered out at recycling facilities and directed to the waste stream. The Bausch + Lomb One by One Recycling Program is available to optometrists and their patients in the U.S. Patients can bring their used contact lenses and packaging to any of the nearly 3,000 participating eyecare professionals’ offices. Registered accounts are provided custom recycling bins and office materials. Once the recycling bins are full, the practice mails the used lens materials to TerraCycle for proper recycling using a free shipping label. When the materials are received by TerraCycle, they are then recycled into post-consumer products, such as park benches and picnic tables. To register and learn more about the Bausch + Lomb One by One Recycling program, visit www.BauschRecycles.com or speak to a Bausch + Lomb sales representative.