Opticycle

Opticycle works with optometrists and retailers to provide a solution to collect unwanted eyeglasses and empty contact lens cases. Using specialised recycling technology, located right here in Australia, Opticycle ensures that the waste materials collected for recycling are actually recycled. Lenses are removed from the frames before they are dismantled. Eyeglasses and lenses are sorted based on their core material composition, and the materials (such as metal and plastic) separated. These materials are passed on to local Australian companies as raw materials for new products. Disposable contact lens blister type packs are made of different materials, including plastic and aluminium, which is why they cannot be recycled through kerbside recycling. This means that every year, hundreds of millions of contact lens cases are either sent to landfill or incorrectly placed into kerbside recycling, contaminating other materials streams. For contact lens cases to be recycled, they first need to be collected in sufficient volumes to warrant the use of specialised recycling technology. Opticycle provides the mechanism to achieve this, making the wish to recycle contact lens cases a reality.