Contact lenses should not be thrown into the toilet or sink, they are made with plastic compounds and must be thrown in the generic
Contact lens wearers should also know the correct way to dispose of them. In fact, if thrown in the wrong way, even these tiny objects can become a burden on the environment.
There are different types of contact lenses: some need to be thrown away after just one day, others are monthly, others even annually. In any case, the time comes for them to be thrown away and, even if their size is small, they add up to the huge amount of garbage we produce every day.
Contact lenses are made with different materials but unfortunately they are always plastic compounds and therefore are not biodegradable.
Ma where should they be thrown?
A study conducted in the United States in 2018 shows that 15% to 20% of contact lenses are disposed of incorrectly in the sink or toilet. In the United States alone, this causes six to ten tons of plastic waste per year ending up in wastewater treatment plants.
As the lenses disintegrate rapidly thanks to the microorganisms present in the purification plants, they become microplastics that can no longer be filtered in the purification plant. The residues of contact lenses, therefore, end up in the sewage sludge and in the environment.
How to properly dispose of contact lenses
It might seem obvious but, as the American study highlighted, it is not at all: contact lenses should absolutely not be thrown into the toilet or sink, they belong to general waste and therefore they must be thrown into the undifferentiated.
If you use contact lenses, try to opt for at least monthly lenses, or better still annual ones. A small gesture to try to reduce the amount of waste.
In addition, hard contact lenses usually last longer than soft lenses and are therefore more environmentally friendly.
However, the most sustainable way to see better remains glasses which, among other things, are increasingly made with sustainable materials or obtained from recycling.
Sources: Arizona State University / Okotest
Read also:
- Things to know if your child wants contact lenses
- Contact lenses: 7 things to know before using them
- Contact lenses: because in this period it would be better to use glasses
