(PRESS RELEASE) LAVAL, QUEBEC, AND TRENTON, NJ — Bausch + Lomb, a leading global eye health business of Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE/TSX: BHC) (“Bausch Health”), announced its exclusive ONE by ONE and Biotrue Eye Care Recycling programs have recycled a total of 41,358,603 million units, or 248,516 pounds, of used contact lens, eye and lens care materials. The programs are made possible through a collaboration with TerraCycle, a world leader in the collection and repurposing of hard-to-recycle post-consumer waste.
“An integral part of our commitment to helping people see better to live better is our focus on sustainability,” said Joe Gordon, U.S. president, Bausch + Lomb. “With our ONE by ONE Recycling program and the new Biotrue Eye Care Recycling program, we have greatly expanded the ways we can help reduce the environmental footprint of these materials in conjunction with eye care professionals, patients and consumers all across the United States. We’re incredibly proud of the significant impact these programs have made to date, for the ongoing collaboration we have with TerraCycle, and we look forward to building upon them for years to come.”
According to The Association of Plastic Recyclers, the industry standard screen size, which identifies and removes unrecyclable plastics, filters out small-sized materials as part of the recycling process1. Standard recycling facilities also only accept certain types of plastic. As a result, contact lens, eye and lens care materials don’t typically end up getting processed and are diverted to landfills.
“Used contact lenses, eye and lens care products and the materials associated with them are waste streams that are often overlooked in standard recycling practices, which can have a tremendous impact on the buildup of environmental waste,” said Tom Szaky, founder and CEO, TerraCycle. “Participating in these unique recycling programs we have with Bausch + Lomb offer people the ability to help ensure their eye health-related materials are properly recycled and don’t end up in waterways and landfills.”
Since launching earlier this year, the company’s Biotrue Eye Care Recycling program, which is the first and only eye care recycling program in the United States, has collected more than 65,000 eye drop single dose units, lens cases and lens solution caps, as well as Biotrue Hydration Boost Lubricant eye drops multi-dose bottles. The ONE by ONE Recycling program collected more than 41 million units of used contact lenses, top foils and blister packs since launching in 2016.For more information on the ONE by ONE and Biotrue Eye Care Recycling programs, visit biotrue.com/recycling.