NEW YORK—For many ECPs, joining a contact lens recycling program is a relatively easy and impactful way to make a practice more eco-friendly. But a major question always remains: how do you let patients know that this is something they can participate in? It’s easy to forget to set your blister packs and used contact lenses aside for recycling, and even easier to throw them out without looking up whether or not they are even recyclable. This, of course, is where social media comes in handy.

Posting about contact lens recycling programs on social media reminds patients of the options available to them—and also has the added benefit of potentially bringing in new patients who stumble across a practice while using Facebook or Instagram to search for a way to recycle their contacts. One of the easiest ways to get your post seen is to use hashtags: for many, #contactrecyling and #contactlensrecyling work perfectly. They group relevant posts using the hashtag together, so people searching for a recycling location can search easily on Facebook and Instagram.

This week, we’re taking a look at how a few indies have used these social media sites to share their programs—and how you can model your own posts after them.


According to Vision Boutique in Chicago, “The top concerns we hear about daily contact lenses are waste and environmental impact.” To address patients’ concerns, the practice headed to Instagram and shared information about their contact lens recycling program—and a new option for shipping lenses waste free. Image via westloopeyecare on Instagram.



In Burke, Virgnia, the Virgnia Eyecare Center shared a video showcasing their contact lens recycling box, and encouraged followers to share the recycling information with any contact lens wearers—even if they aren’t patients. Image via virgniaeyecarecenter on Instagram.



Coronado Eye Care Optometry in Coronado, California, made it to the local news for their contact lens recycling program. Image via Coronado Eye Care on Facebook.



Edmond Family Eye Care in Edmond, Oklahoma, used Earth Day as an opportunity to share their contact lens recycling program. Image via Edmond Family Eye Care on Facebook. 



Plastic Free July also offers an excellent opportunity to share information about a contact lens recycling program—as demonstrated by the Integrative Vision team in Shrewsbury, New Jersey. Image via Integrative Vision on Facebook.



Mission Creek Optometry in Kelowna, Canada, took to Instagram to share information about their contact lens recycling program, including what kind of lenses can be recycled and where to go for more information. Image via missioncreekptometry on Instagram.



Showing off the contact lens recycling box is a great way to make it easy for patients—once in the office, they will know exactly where to go. The team at Visionary Eye Centre in Sherwood Park, Canada, took to Instagram to do exactly that. Image via visionaryeyecentre on Instagram.