If you are wondering what to do with your solar eclipse glasses now that the April 8 celestial event has passed, there are several environmentally friendly options.
To keep the glasses out of a landfill, you can donate them to organizations that will distribute them globally to countries where an eclipse will occur in the future.
JR Bria, a manager at Stratford-based Residential Waste Systems, which collects Easton’s residential trash and recycling, said the various materials in the glasses have to be treated differently.
“The cardboard from the glasses is recyclable,” said Bria. “The lenses are to be removed and placed in the trash.”
You can donate your glasses by dropping them off at the Easton Post Office at 295 Center Road. The glasses will then be mailed to Eclipse Glasses, a Utah-based company whose mission is to provide ISO-certified glasses to people everywhere, especially children, so that they can safely view an eclipse.
“The glasses will be sent to Latin America for school children to view an eclipse in August 2024,” said Mary Biedermann, who manages the post office, which is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
Christ Church Nursery School Easton on 59 Church Road is also collecting glasses to be sent to Eclipse Glasses USA.
Another option is Astronomers Without Borders, a non-profit organization that is accepting eclipse glasses. After the 2017 eclipse, the organization collected millions of donated glasses and sent them to be used by people in South America, Asia and Africa, according to its website.
There is always the option to keep your glasses for a future eclipse, though you may have a long wait. The next total solar eclipse that will be visible in the U.S., according to NASA, will occur on August 23, 2044. The site also lists information on upcoming partial eclipses, whose viewing also requires special glasses, and where eclipses will be visible.
The website of The American Astronomical Society has extensive information on solar eclipse glasses, including about reusing them. According to the site, you can reuse them indefinitely if the lenses aren’t punctured, scratched or damaged in any way, and provided that the glasses are compliant with the transmittance requirements of ISO 12312-2 safety standards.
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