Residents encouraged to donate to spectacle reuse scheme

Friday 6 December 2024

Residents can bring their old spectacles - along with the case if available - to any of the Council’s five recycling centres across the Borough and put them in dedicated used spectacle containers.

The scheme will launch on Monday 16 December 2024 from designated collection points including:

• Waveney Road Household Recycling Centre, Ballymena
• Redlands Household Recycling Centre, Larne
• Glenarm Household Recycling Centre
• Larne South Household Recycling Centre
• Sullatober Household Recycling Centre, Carrickfergus

Spectacles left for recycling will then be collected by members of Antrim Coast Lions Club and transported to Medico Lions Clubs de France in Le Havre for sorting and grading before shipping to third world countries.

Every year, Medico Lions Club processes over 3 million pairs of spectacles, with donations by UK Lions Clubs accounting for more than half of the total number.

Mayor of Mid and East Antrim, Alderman Beth Adger, MBE said: “I am delighted that Council is working in partnership with Antrim Coast Lions Club to promote this very worthy cause and I would urge residents to donate any unwanted spectacles they may have.

“This initiative will not only help those most in need, it will also reduce waste landfill and demonstrate the benefits of the circular economy - where items are repaired and used again rather than being thrown away. This model supports the waste hierarchy and places a sense of value of these items.”

Antrim Coast Lions Club President Denise Abram added: “Lions Clubs International is a global organisation of 48,000 clubs and 1.45 million Lions, operating in almost every country of the world.  As a local club we are delighted to be a part of this initiative which will support our worldwide project to refurbish spectacles for distribution to optical missions around the world. 

“Refractive errors can be easily corrected with eyeglasses, yet millions living in low and middle income countries lack access to basic eye care services. Lions have recognised the urgent need for corrective lenses and collect usable glasses in their communities to support the Lions Recycle For Sight Program.

“For children, clear vision means a better education, healthier development and a better quality of life.  For adults, it means greater employment opportunity and economic strength. For seniors it means less dependence on others.”

In addition to providing glasses to children and adults, Lions also help to minimise landfill waste by supporting precious metal reclamation and scrap processing for damaged glasses that are unusable.