At the Bausch + Lomb presentation this week are (L to R): Michael Waas, Global Vice President, Brand Partnerships, TerraCycle; Tania DaSilva, Brand Manager, Daily Disposable Franchise at Bausch + Lomb; John Miller, President & CEO, Guide Dog Foundation and Jill Saxon, Senior Director, Professional Strategy, Bausch + Lomb.                                                   
BRIDGEWATER, N.J.—Bausch + Lomb in collaboration with TerraCycle,  a world leader in the collection and repurposing of hard-to-recycle post-consumer waste, have announced a donation of custom training modules to the Guide Dog Foundation, a national not-for-profit that trains guide dogs for people who are blind or visually impaired. The training modules, including benches, tables, waste stations and an agility ramp, were made from used contact lens materials collected through the Bausch + Lomb ONE by ONE Recycling Program, the first and only contact lens recycling program of its kind in the United States, along with other recycled material, according to the announcement earlier this week.

The training modules were presented to the Guide Dog Foundation at its headquarters in Smithtown, N.Y., and will be utilized in the training of guide dogs for individuals who are blind or visually impaired as well as helping to further enhance the campus for those who visit.

“The ONE by ONE Recycling program and our collaboration with TerraCycle is representative of our company’s long-standing commitment to sustainability,” John Ferris, general manager, U.S. Vision Care, Bausch + Lomb, said in the announcement. “With this donation, we’re taking this program one step further, bringing new life to these materials by supporting the work of the Guide Dog Foundation, an organization that provides sight through the magnificent work of guide dogs for people who are blind or visually impaired.”




John Miller, chief executive officer of the Guide Dog Foundation, said, “We are grateful for the efforts of Bausch + Lomb and TerraCycle in reducing the environmental waste of contact lenses while also making this critical donation to help improve the lives of those who are blind or visually impaired. These training modules will be a wonderful addition to our training facility where our instructors train guide dogs the significant skills and tasks they need to increase the independence and mobility for people living with these conditions.”

Since its inception in November 2016, the ONE by ONE Recycling program has collected nearly 16 million used contact lenses, blister packs and top foils, which equates to more than 95,000 pounds of waste, making a significant impact on reducing the waste associated with contact lens use, especially daily disposable lenses, the announcement noted. The donation to the Guide Dog Foundation is in recognition of this milestone and in commemoration of America Recycles Day (Friday, Nov. 15, 2019), the program’s third anniversary.

“We are delighted to celebrate America Recycles Day and the third anniversary of the Bausch + Lomb ONE by ONE Recycling program through the donation of these materials to the Guide Dog Foundation,” Tom Szaky, founder and chief executive officer of TerraCycle, said in the announcement. “Before the ONE by ONE Recycling program, contact lenses were one of the forgotten waste streams that were often overlooked due to their size. In the three years since the implementation of the program, we’ve seen positive momentum from contact lens wearers who continue to use this program.”


The ONE by ONE Recycling program encourages contact lens wearers to bring their used contact lenses and packaging to any one of the more than 4,200 participating eye care professionals’ offices to recycle them in custom recycling bins provided by Bausch + Lomb. Once the recycling bins are full, the optometry practice mails the materials to TerraCycle using a free shipping label from www.bauschrecycles.com.

In addition to the training module donation made to the Guide Dog Foundation, the ONE by ONE Recycling Program donates $10 to Optometry Giving Sight, the only global fundraising initiative that specifically targets the prevention of blindness and impaired vision by providing eye exams and glasses to those in need, for every 10 pounds of contact lens waste collected from participating ONE by ONE recycling centers.