B+L's ONE by ONE Recycling Program Diverts Over 691,000 Pounds of Eye Care Waste from US Landfills

Bausch + Lomb announced that its ONE by ONE Recycling Program, developed in collaboration with recycling provider TerraCycle, has collected more than 691,180 pounds—or 114,037,136 units—of used contact lenses, eye care, and lens care materials in the United States. That’s equivalent to over 2.2 million baseballs worth of waste kept out of landfills and waterways.

“Each America Recycles Day, we celebrate the collective efforts of eye care professionals, patients and consumers who are helping to properly discard and keep these materials out of the environment,” said Amy Butler, vice president, Global Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability, Bausch + Lomb. “Thanks to their commitment, the ONE by ONE Recycling Program keeps growing and making a more meaningful impact every year.”

Due to their small size and the type of plastic used, contact lenses and their packaging materials are often not accepted by local recycling facilities and can inadvertently end up in landfills or waterways. In the US, an estimated six to 10 metric tons of contact lenses are flushed down drains annually, contributing to microplastic pollution that threatens aquatic environments and, eventually, the human food chain.

The ONE by ONE Recycling Program is designed to provide a simple and effective solution, ensuring that contact lenses, blister packs, cases, and related eye care waste are properly recycled and repurposed rather than discarded.

For every qualifying shipment of 10 pounds or more from a registered ONE by ONE Recycling Program practice, Bausch + Lomb donates $1 per pound to Optometry Giving Sight, a global initiative focused on preventing blindness and vision impairment.

Bausch + Lomb’s commitment to sustainable eye care extends to Canada through the Every Contact Counts program, launched in 2019. The initiative has collected over 70,000 pounds (5.2 million units) of used contact lenses, blister packs, and top foils. These programs are part of Bausch + Lomb’s broader sustainability strategy, which includes measurable environmental targets across four key metrics known as FEWW—fuel, energy, water, and waste. Each company facility maintains annualized goals under this framework to promote continuous improvement and innovation in sustainable practices.