Bausch + Lomb Recycles Over 725,000 Pounds of Eye Care Waste
Event summary
- Bausch + Lomb's ONE by ONE Recycling program has collected 724,922 pounds (119,715,074 units) of contact lens and eye care materials in the U.S. as of April 6, 2026.
- The program, a collaboration with TerraCycle, prevents an estimated 6-10 metric tons of contact lenses from entering wastewater annually.
- For every 10-pound shipment from participating practices, Bausch + Lomb donates $1 per pound to Optometry Giving Sight.
- The Canadian 'Every Contact Counts' program has recycled 78,269 pounds of materials since 2019.
The big picture
Bausch + Lomb's recycling program addresses a growing consumer and regulatory concern regarding plastic waste in the eye care industry. The initiative, while relatively small in the context of Bausch + Lomb's overall revenue, positions the company as a leader in sustainable practices within a sector increasingly pressured to reduce its environmental footprint. The program's reliance on third-party partnerships (TerraCycle, Optometry Giving Sight) highlights the complexity of building circular economy solutions in specialized product categories.
What we're watching
- Program Scalability
- The program's reliance on participating eye care practices suggests scalability will depend on Bausch + Lomb's ability to incentivize broader adoption and manage logistics.
- Regulatory Pressure
- Increasing regulatory scrutiny of single-use plastics and microplastics could accelerate the need for industry-wide recycling solutions, potentially creating both opportunities and competitive pressures for Bausch + Lomb.
- Cost Analysis
- While the charitable donations create goodwill, the long-term financial viability of the program hinges on optimizing recycling costs and exploring potential revenue streams from recycled materials.