Bausch + Lomb’s ONE by ONE Program Diverts Over 691,000 Pounds of Eye Care Waste from U.S. Landfills

Bausch + Lomb has announced that its U.S.-based ONE by ONE Recycling Program, developed in collaboration with TerraCycle, has successfully collected over 691,180 pounds of used contact lenses and eye care materials. This total represents more than 114 million individual units diverted from landfills and waterways, roughly equivalent to the volume of 2.2 million baseballs.

Addressing an Overlooked Source of Plastic Pollution

Contact lenses and related packaging, due to their small size and complex plastic composition, are often excluded from conventional municipal recycling systems. As a result, they frequently end up in landfills or, worse, contribute to microplastic pollution when flushed down drains. In the United States alone, it is estimated that between 6 and 10 metric tons of contact lenses are flushed annually.

These plastics can degrade into microplastics, contaminating aquatic ecosystems and potentially entering the human food chain. The ONE by ONE Recycling Program was developed to provide a targeted solution, enabling proper collection, recycling, and repurposing of contact lenses, blister packs, top foils, lens cases, and related eye care waste.

Industry-Wide Collaboration Driving Environmental Impact

Amy Butler, Vice President of Global Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability at Bausch + Lomb, commented on the program’s progress:

“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. Thanks to their commitment, the ONE by ONE Recycling Program keeps growing and making a more meaningful impact every year.”

Supporting Global Eye Health Through Recycling

As part of the program, Bausch + Lomb donates $1 per pound for every qualifying shipment of 10 pounds or more sent by a registered ONE by ONE Recycling Program practice. These donations support Optometry Giving Sight, a global initiative focused on preventing blindness and vision impairment through access to sustainable vision care.

Sustainability Efforts Expand to Canada

Bausch + Lomb’s recycling efforts extend to Canada through its Every Contact Counts program, launched in 2019. To date, the initiative has collected over 70,000 pounds of used contact lenses and packaging materials, totaling more than 5.2 million individual units.

Part of a Broader Corporate Sustainability Strategy

These recycling programs form a key component of Bausch + Lomb’s broader sustainability strategy, which includes measurable environmental targets across four core metrics: fuel, energy, water, and waste, collectively known as the FEWW framework. Each company facility operates under annualized goals tied to these metrics to promote continuous improvement and innovation in sustainable practices.