Specsavers Australia has announced a partnership with recycling processor Opticycle which sees the introduction of what it says is the first end-to-end recycling solution for glasses and lens waste for the optical industry in Australia.
Specsavers says it is expecting to recycle more than 50 tonnes of glasses and lens waste through its recycling program each year, which includes the recycling of used customer glasses, discontinued display frames, demo lenses and swarf (offcuts from the glazing process), ensuring all product materials are responsibly recycled at end of life and made into new products in Australia.
It says the partnership forms a key part of its commitment to becoming a circular business and contributing to Australia’s circular economy.
Specsavers ANZ head of sustainability, Ms Cathy Rennie Matos, says that finding a viable recycling solution has been a primary strategic priority for the business, but hasn’t been without its challenges.
“Finding a recycling solution for our optical waste was important for two reasons,” she says.
“Firstly, we wanted to make sure that the materials from our products are kept in circulation for as long as possible and don’t end up in landfill, and unfortunately only a small percentage of glasses can actually be reused by charities. Secondly, our customers want to be able to return their glasses when they no longer need them and know that they are being responsibly recycled.
“We’ve faced a lot of barriers in trying to find a recycling solution for frame and lens waste due to the complex mix of different polymers and metals in glasses, and the relative low volume of waste optical products generate in comparison to other industries.
“We spoke to a lot of different recyclers and even completed an unsuccessful R&D project with another recycling processor before we found Opticycle,” says Matos.
“Opticycle initially approached us about contact lens blister pack recycling, which is when we raised the issue of frame and lens waste with them.
“We’ve spent the past two years working with Opticycle to develop a solution and pilot a program with our stores and Melbourne-based glazing lab.
“We’re pleased to say that the solution we’ve developed with Opticycle provides the workable end of life pathway we’ve been looking for,” she says.
Opticycle provides detailed reporting and data that allows Specsavers to trace material flows through the processing facility and provides visibility of where product waste goes.
Opticycle general manager Mr Michael Klapsogiannis says the organisation has enjoyed working with Specsavers to develop and deliver an effective recycling solution for the optical industry.
“We’re proud of the processes we have in place to ensure materials from each pair of glasses is broken down and reused and repurposed into new products, effectively diverting unnecessary waste from ending up in landfill.
“The hardest part was finding an end market that could take the mixed plastics, so what we’ve done is create our own process and our own products. Once separated using our specialised equipment, we blend the mixed plastics with other hard to recycle materials and create pavers out of them.
“The mixed metals go off to a refinery for further separation and are then reused in other recycled metal products, while the polycarbonate from lenses is passed on to local manufacturers as raw materials to be used in commercial products, such a recycled plastic panels. And all of this happens right here in Australia.
“During our pilot with Specsavers, we received over 40 tonnes of optical waste and were able to recover 35 tonnes of plastics and 5 tonnes of metal, which is incredible,” he says.
With the Opticycle partnership in place, Specsavers will no longer be donating customers’ second-hand glasses to Lions Recycle for Sight, as they have done in the past. Instead, they will be recycled through Opticycle and the program expanded to include contact lens blister packs as well as other optical waste from its stores, support office and lab.
Customers can dispose of any unwanted glasses and contact lens blister packs by dropping them off at their local Specsavers store for recycling.
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