Where to Recycle Eyeglasses in North Vancouver: Earth Week at Lynn Valley Optometry

Lynn Valley Optometry
13 hours ago
3 min read

If you have old glasses sitting in a drawer, you’re not alone.

According to the David Suzuki Foundation, more than 4 million pairs of eyeglasses end up in landfills each year in North America. Many of these could still be reused or repurposed.

At Lynn Valley Optometry, we’re making it easy for our community to reduce waste and help others see clearly.

A young girl in Guatemala wearing recycled glasses distributed through the Canadian Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centre (CLERC), 2023. (Photo courtesy of CLERC.)

Earth Week at Lynn Valley Optometry (April 20–25)

In celebration of Earth Week, we’re inviting you to take part in a simple but meaningful initiative.

Bring in your old glasses during Earth Week, April 20–25, and receive a $50 credit toward new eyewear.

It’s a chance to refresh your vision while making a positive environmental and global impact.

Where to Recycle Eyeglasses in North Vancouver

If you’ve been searching for where to recycle eyeglasses near you, where to donate glasses in North Vancouver, or how to responsibly dispose of old eyewear, you can drop them off at Lynn Valley Optometry year-round or find a collection site near you through the Canadian Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centre.

While Earth Week is a special campaign, our clinic is an ongoing collection point for:

prescription glasses
sunglasses
frames you no longer use

We work with the Lynn Valley Lions Club to ensure your eyewear is properly collected and redistributed.

As part of our commitment to reducing waste, we also accept contact lenses and blister packs for recycling through the Bausch + Lomb Every Contact Counts Free Recycling Program with TerraCycle. This program helps recycle materials that are not typically accepted in standard municipal systems.

Supporting the Lynn Valley Lions Club

We are proud to support the Lynn Valley Lions Club and their Lions Recycle for Sight program.

Locally, their team collects approximately 1,000 pairs of glasses each year from optical clinics and community partners. Over the past decade, they have contributed thousands of pairs to a global effort that has helped more than 2 million people access eyewear.

Their work ensures that glasses donated here in North Vancouver can go on to make a meaningful difference around the world.

What Happens to Your Donated Glasses

Your donated eyewear is sent through the Canadian Lions Eyeglass Recycling Centre (CLERC) in Calgary.

Here is how the process works:

Glasses are collected locally by the Lions and shipped to CLERC. From there, they are sent to the Calgary Correctional Centre, where they are cleaned, repaired, sanitized, and measured to determine their prescription. The glasses are then sorted, packaged, and distributed to optometrists and volunteers running vision clinics in developing countries. Patients are matched with the appropriate prescription, giving them access to clear vision.

This program not only reduces waste but also creates access to essential vision care for communities that may not otherwise have it.

Why Recycling Eyeglasses Matters

Eyeglasses are made from a mix of plastics and metals that are difficult to recycle and can contribute to long-term environmental harm when sent to landfill.

The David Suzuki Foundation highlights that materials like acetate and certain metals can contribute to pollution and microplastics when not disposed of properly.

By recycling your eyewear:

you reduce landfill waste
you support a more circular approach to materials
you help provide vision care to underserved communities

It is a small action that can have a meaningful impact.

How to Participate

During Earth Week (April 20–25)

Bring in your old glasses and receive a $50 credit toward new eyewear.

Year-round

Drop off your unused eyewear anytime at Lynn Valley Optometry. We will ensure it is responsibly reused or recycled through the Lions program.

See Better. Waste Less.

At Lynn Valley Optometry, we believe better vision goes beyond the individual. It is about supporting our community and making thoughtful choices that have a broader impact.

If you have glasses you are no longer using, bring them in. We will take care of the rest.