Contact Lens Wearers Can Now Recycle Their Contact Lenses and Blister Packs
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TORONTO and TRENTON, N.J., Jan. 27, 2020 /CNW/ - Bausch + Lomb, the leading global eye health company of Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE/TSX: BHC), announced today that it has partnered with international recycling company TerraCycle to launch the Bausch + Lomb Every Contact Counts recycling program in select eye care offices across Canada. Through the joint initiative, Canadians who wear contact lenses now have a way to responsibly recycle their traditionally non-recyclable disposable contact lenses and blister pack packaging.
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"More than 290 million contact lenses end up in Canadian landfills or waterways yearly," said Matt Nowak, director, Sales and Marketing, Bausch + Lomb Canada. "As more consumers switch to wearing daily disposable lenses, this number will increase significantly. Our customers and their patients are concerned about the environmental impact of the packaging going to landfills, and they want to act to protect the environment. With the launch of the Bausch + Lomb Every Contact Counts recycling program, they will finally be able to divert this waste away from landfills, lakes, rivers and oceans."
Bausch + Lomb contact lenses help Canadians experience moments that matter. The Every Contact Counts recycling program means wearers can feel even better about those moments.
Contact lenses and blister packs are considered non-recyclable through municipal facilities because they are too small to be captured by standard sorting machinery. Through the Bausch + Lomb Every Contact Counts recycling program, consumers can search for their nearest participating eye care professional on the interactive map found at www.terracycle.com/en-CA/brigades/bausch-and-lomb-en-ca to recycle all brands of disposable contact lenses and blister pack packaging through that location.
"Contact lenses are one of the forgotten waste streams that are often overlooked due to their size and how commonplace they are in today's society," said Tom Szaky, founder and CEO, TerraCycle. "Initiatives like the Bausch + Lomb Every Contact Counts recycling program allow eye care professionals and patients to work within their communities and take an active role in preserving the environment, beyond what their local recycling programs are able to provide. By creating this recycling initiative, our aim is to provide an opportunity where whole communities are able to collect waste alongside a national network of public drop-off locations, all with the unified goal to increase the number of recycled contact lenses and their associated packaging, thereby reducing their overall impact on the environment."
After being collected at an Every Contact Counts recycling location, the contact lenses and blister packs are shipped to a TerraCycle recycling facility where they are separated and cleaned. The metal layers of the blister packs are recycled separately, while the contact lenses and plastic blister pack components are melted into plastic, which can be remoulded to create new products.
In addition to Canada, Bausch + Lomb also has similar contact lens recycling programs in The Netherlands, the United States and Australia. To learn more about the Bausch + Lomb Every Contact Counts recycling program, and how to participate, visit www.everycontactcounts.ca.
About TerraCycleTerraCycle is an innovative waste management company with a mission to eliminate the idea of waste. Operating nationally across 21 countries, TerraCycle partners with leading consumer product companies, retailers and cities to recycle products and packages, from dirty diapers to cigarette butts, that would otherwise end up being landfilled or incinerated. In addition, TerraCycle works with leading consumer product companies to integrate hard to recycle waste streams, such as ocean plastic, into their products and packaging. Its new division, Loop, is the first shopping system that gives consumers a way to shop for their favorite brands in durable, reusable packaging. TerraCycle has won over 200 awards for sustainability and has donated over $44 million to schools and charities since its founding more than 15 years ago and was named #10 in Fortune magazine's list of 52 companies Changing the World. To learn more about TerraCycle or get involved in its recycling programs, please visit www.terracycle.ca.
About Bausch + LombBausch + Lomb, the leading global eye health business of Bausch Health Companies Inc., is solely focused on helping people see better to live better. Its core businesses include over-the-counter products, dietary supplements, eye care products, ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, contact lenses, lens care products, ophthalmic surgical devices and instruments. Bausch + Lomb develops, manufactures and markets one of the most comprehensive product portfolios in the industry, which is available in more than 100 countries. For more information, visit www.Bausch.ca.
SOURCE Bausch + Lomb
