Following an earlier 2022 survey which revealed that only 39% of contact lens (CL) wearers recycled, J&J Vision has partnered with TerraCycle to fund the provision of 3,500 Zero Waste Boxes to partnering opticians.

In 2019, TerraCycle partnered with Johnson & Johnson Vision to launch a contact lens recycling scheme in the UK, with Boots Opticians and independent practices hosting recycling points. It enabled patients to recycle their contact lenses and packaging, which were then turned into new products such as outdoor furniture. TerraCycle told Optician that despite lockdown seemingly impacting patients’ ability to recycle at an optical practice, waste units received by TerraCycle increased. Since the date of the first lockdown on March 23, 2020, it received 3,999,144 units of waste compared to 3,227,599 units of waste in the 15 months following the programme’s inception in January 2019.

Of course, there are still some items which end up in your regular bin – and therefore in landfill. But thanks to TerraCycle, which partners with individual collectors and companies to collect and recycle almost any sort of waste, and other schemes, it is getting easier to give old items a new lease of life and take your recycling to the next level. Here are seven ideas for starters.

The system has undeniably proved popular with businesses and consumers alike. In recent months, TerraCycle has launched partnerships using this model with Mars Petcare, Colgate Palmolive, Kelloggand Acuvue targeting pet food packaging, oral healthcare products, Pringles cans and contact lenses respectively. Additionally, consumers sent more than 500,000 used crisp and snack packets to TerraCycle through its partnership with Walkers during its first three months of operation.