Why did you stop sending the glasses overseas? Expand We stopped sending second-glasses overseas in 2011 when the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) recommended that sending second-hand glasses overseas was not the best way to establish sustainable eye care in developing countries. The IAPB made their recommendation on the basis that: Sending second-hand glasses overseas is not cost-effective – cleaning, refurbishment, repair and transportation costs are often greater than the cost of supplying new frames and lenses Everyone, regardless of their circumstances, has a right to clear, comfortable vision Second-hand glasses can cause an environmental problem in the recipient country Today, we focus on providing a sustainable solution that delivers eye care services and low-cost new glasses to patients in need, from locally trained eye care workers.
How much do you make from each pair of glasses? Expand On average each pair of recycled glasses is worth around 3 pence each. Recycling used glasses works financially because we can recycle in bulk.
How many glasses do you receive each year? Expand We recycle around 3.5 million pairs of second-hand glasses every year.
What happens to the glasses when you receive them? Expand We no longer send second-hand glasses overseas. When the donated glasses are received at our warehouse in Crawley, they are: Hand sorted by our two Warehouse Assistants for recycling The glasses are recycled for their precious metal content (gold frames), any retro or vintage glasses are sold on our eBay shop or to specialist buyers The income generated through the recycling process supports our eye care programmes in our partner countries, delivering eye care services and low-cost new glasses to those in need The rest of the glasses are taken to a Municipal Recycling Facility, where the waste is line sorted, any metal is extracted from the conveyor belt (along with wood, paper, waste, plastics and other recyclables including glass). The remainder which is about 18% is then incinerated at a waste for energy in Southern England.
Where can I recycle my glasses? Expand To find your nearest recycling point, please click here. Most High Streets in the UK have at least one Opticians that recycles second-hand glasses for Vision Aid Overseas.
Will you pick the glasses up/ how do we get them to you? Expand We are very fortunate to have the support of DX Courier who donate their services to us. If your business receives DX deliveries or has an account with DX courier, DX will kindly collect the second-hand glasses free of charge and deliver them to our warehouse in Crawley for recycling. To deliver the glasses through DX, please ensure the box is securely packaged with our full address on top of the box and wait for your next DX delivery or pick up. Address: 12 The Bell Centre, Newton Road, Crawley, West Sussex, RH10 9FZ (please remember to enclose a compliment slip that we can acknowledge your kind donation.) If you do not have a DX Courier, unfortunately we cannot collect the glasses from you due to limited resources, therefore you can either: Contact a neighbouring optician who uses DX and ask if you can kindly drop off the collected glasses at their opticians to be collected by DX Courier. See here to find your nearest recycling point Cover the cost of postage yourself (please note, the cost of postage can sometimes be greater than the value of the donated second-hand glasses)
Can I have a recycling box? Expand Unfortunately, we no longer have the funding to provide individuals and businesses with recycling boxes. However, you can download our digital recycling poster that you can print in house and decorate your own recycling box with. Download If you do not have a good printer, you can order your recycling poster here and we will post it to you. (Please note, we process our fundraising materials every Friday so, please allow up to a week for delivery).
What address do we send the collected glasses to? Expand Please make sure the box is securely packaged with the address below on top of the box and send the box through your DX courier to: Vision Aid Overseas 12 The Bell Centre Newton Road Crawley West Sussex RH10 9FZ If you do not use a DX courier, click here to find out more how you can deliver the glasses to us.
Can I set up a recycling centre abroad? Expand We would advise against setting up a recycling centre abroad on behalf of Vision Aid Overseas because the cost of postage would be higher than the income generated through recycling the donated second-hand glasses. If you would like to support the work of Vision Aid Overseas, please click here to find out other ways you can support our life changing work.