NYC: Recycle your eyeglasses

Brooklyn, NY-MoralEyes, a wholesaler and retailer of reading glasses and sunglasses, is launching a used-glasses recycling program Aug. 13 and 14 in New York City.

“We hope to grow the program nationwide in the coming months,” said Joe Sacks, chief executive officer of MoralEyes.

The company has been donating a pair of reading glasses to a nonprofit partner, New Eyes for the Needy, for every pair sold. Through this effort, MoralEyes has donated more than 7,500 pairs, with a retail value of more than $150,000. With the launch of its used-glasses recycling program, the company hopes to expand its contribution exponentially.

“Every year, over 4 million pairs of glasses are thrown away in North America alone, so the recycling potential is enormous,” said Sacks. “It’s just a matter of giving people access to convenient donation receptacles, and that’s what we’re providing with our used-glasses recycling boxes.”

The recycling program will continue indefinitely in New York City, with recycling boxes set up in retail and public spaces.