We’re all trying to be more environmentally conscious these days, and most people are constantly looking at what more they can do to limit their environmental impact. Many of us are buying vintage, using a bag for life, and meticulously sorting out our recycling, but often when we get a new pair of glasses, we simply put them in the bottom of a drawer and forget about them.

With a variety of materials, recycling glasses can be a very difficult process, and many recycling centres actively discourage people from bringing them, as it’s a labour-intensive process. Despite this, there are many ways you can put your old and unused glasses to good use, make sure that they get a second life, and don’t reach landfill.

Return to Arlo Wolf and we’ll donate

If you are looking to recycle glasses by post, we at Arlo Wolf are accepting second-hand glasses as part of our recycle or rewear initiative. 

Simply send us an email and we’ll provide you with an address to send them to. This way, we can ensure they are donated if they can be, and recycled if not.

We are proud to be a new partner of Lions Clubs. Throughout the UK, Lions Clubs accept donations for those looking to give up their glasses, whether they’re unwanted or damaged. 

We are proud to have donated hundreds of pairs of glasses to Lions Clubs, which could be sent directly to eye clinics in Sri Lanka, Ghana and Nigeria or given to volunteers from the ‘Unite for Sight’ charity, to be taken to countries across the world.

Lions Clubs

Lions Clubs International is a non-profit service organization that was founded in 1917 by Melvin Jones. It is one of the largest and most well-known service club organizations in the world, with the primary goal of addressing various community and humanitarian needs. Lions Clubs operate globally, and their members, known as Lions, engage in a wide range of volunteer activities to improve local communities.

The Lions Clubs’ mission is to empower volunteers to serve their communities, meet humanitarian needs, encourage peace, and promote international understanding. They are involved in various service areas, including sight conservation, hearing and speech conservation, diabetes awareness, youth outreach, environmental projects, disaster relief, and more.

One of the most notable initiatives of Lions Clubs International is the focus on blindness prevention and sight-related projects. They have been actively involved in efforts to combat blindness, provide eye care services, and support research for vision-related issues.

Lions Clubs also organize fundraisers and community events to support their projects and charitable activities. The organisation operates on a local, national, and international level, with Lions clubs in many countries around the world.

Donating to your local charity shop

You can also, on the odd occasion, donate your old glasses to your local charity shop. Not all charity shops accept glasses, but many do, so it’s worth giving your local shop a call to make sure. Those looking to recycle glasses to charity could also consider posting their glasses to a charity shop that does accept them, if their local one doesn’t. 

Selling or gifting old frames

One of the easiest ways that prescription glasses can be recycled is to sell or gift them. By selling your glasses to an interested buyer, or gifting them to the perfect person, you can make sure that they reach someone with the exact prescription, who will appreciate their new pair of glasses. There are a variety of online marketplaces such as eBay or Depop that make listing your items easy if you want to sell. There are also various social media groups set up to give away items for free, if you want to donate them.

Environmentally friendly glasses

Through our commitment to the environment, we’re excited to announce our brand new eco range of glasses frames, available from August. Our new eco eyewear collection will include frames that are made from 80% biodegradable materials. 

The frames will be the same high quality, Arlo Wolf standard that is to be expected, but will also be better for the environment. We’ve also recently manufactured our lens cloths from 100% recyclable materials.

Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know about our new, environmentally friendly eyewear collection.

Browse the Arlo Wolf collection

Whether you are looking for sunglasses or prescription glasses, Arlo Wolf has got you covered, with a huge variety of styles, all with a 30 day return policy. We even offer a try before you buy service, that takes all the risk out of buying glasses, and ensures you can choose the perfect pair, without committing to purchase them. Needless to say we reuse the home trial frames after a thorough cleaning process. Shop our full range of women’s glasses and men’s glasses today.