Specsavers Australia has announced a partnership with recycling processor, Opticycle, which sees the introduction of the first end-to-end recycling solution for glasses and lens waste for the optical industry in Australia.
Specsavers is expecting to recycle more than 50 tonnes of glasses and lens waste through its recycling program each year, which includes the recycling of used customer glasses, discontinued display frames, demo lenses and swarf (offcuts from the glazing process), ensuring all product materials are responsibly recycled at end of life and made into new products, here in Australia.
During the pilot with Specsavers, Opticycle received over 40 tonnes of optical waste and was able to recover 35 tonnes of plastics and five tonnes of metal
This partnership forms a key part of Specsavers’ commitment to becoming a circular business and contributing to Australia’s circular economy.
Overcoming Logistical Challenges
While finding a viable recycling solution has been a primary strategic priority for the business, Specsavers ANZ Head of Sustainability, Cathy Rennie Matos, said it hasn’t been without its challenges.
“Finding a recycling solution for our optical waste was important for two reasons. Firstly, we wanted to make sure that the materials from our products are kept in circulation for as long as possible and don’t end up in landfill, and unfortunately only a small percentage of glasses can actually be reused by charities. Secondly, our customers want to be able to return their glasses when they no longer need them and know that they are being responsibly recycled.
“We’ve faced a lot of barriers in trying to find a recycling solution for frame and lens waste due to the complex mix of different polymers and metals in glasses, and the relative low volume of waste optical products generate in comparison to other industries.”
Ms Rennie Matos said Specsavers spoke to several recyclers and “even completed an unsuccessful R&D project with another recycling processor” before finding Opticycle.
“Opticycle initially approached us about contact lens blister pack recycling, which is when we raised the issue of frame and lens waste with them.
“We’ve spent the past two years working with Opticycle to develop a solution and pilot a program with our stores and Melbourne-based glazing lab. We’re pleased to say that the solution we’ve developed with Opticycle provides the workable end of life pathway we’ve been looking for,” she said.
Opticycle provides detailed reporting and data that allows Specsavers to trace material flows through the processing facility and provides visibility of where product waste goes.
Finding an End Market
Opticycle General Manager Michael Klapsogiannis, explained that his organisation had to put new processes in place to ensure materials from each pair of glasses could be broken down, and reused and repurposed into new products, effectively diverting unnecessary waste from ending up in landfill.
“The hardest part was finding an end market that could take the mixed plastics, so what we’ve done is create our own process and our own products. Once separated using our specialised equipment, we blend the mixed plastics with other hard to recycle materials and create pavers out of them.
“The mixed metals go off to a refinery for further separation and are then reused in other recycled metal products, while the polycarbonate from lenses is passed onto local manufacturers as raw materials to be used in commercial products, such a recycled plastic panels. And all of this happens right here in Australia.”
During the pilot with Specsavers, Opticycle received over 40 tonnes of optical waste and was able to recover 35 tonnes of plastics and five tonnes of metal, an achievement that Mr Klapsogiannis described as “incredible”,.
Expanding the Program
With the Opticycle partnership in place, Specsavers will no longer donate customers’ second-hand glasses to Lions Recycle for Sight, as they have done in the past. Instead, they will be recycled through Opticycle and the program will be expanded to include contact lens blister packs as well as other optical waste from its stores, support office and lab.
“Every business has a responsibility to continue investigating better ways of working that minimise the environmental impact of their operations and at Specsavers, we’re committed to doing our part, and this partnership is a testament to that commitment. By working together with Opticycle, we’re not only reducing our environmental footprint but also paving the way for a more circular optical industry in Australia,” Ms Rennie Matos concluded.
