Here’s where to recycle your solar eclipse glasses in NYC after April 8

The solar eclipse is such a big moment—it won’t happen in New York for another 50 years—that we’re all clearing our schedules and buying eclipse glasses in preparation.

But what should we do with our eclipse glasses after the big event? Do we keep them as a memento or throw them out? Here’s an idea: recycle them or donate them!

Here’s how.

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The frames of your eclipse glasses are either rigid plastic or cardboard, so the frames can be discarded in your normal recycling (separated into plastics or papers).

The lenses, however, are made of black polymer or resin infused with carbon particles (which blocks nearly all visible, infrared and ultraviolet light), so do not try to recycle them. Instead, cut or punch out the lenses from the frames and place them in a bag to throw them in the general waste, eclipse23.com says.

Some camera stores recycle film, so you could call one and see if they would take that type of film.

The best idea, however, is to donate them.

If you are attending an event giving glasses out, it will likely accept your glasses once the eclipse concludes. 

NYC’s public libraries are also giving out solar eclipse glasses for free, and in the past, they have accepted them back. No take-back plans have been announced as of Friday, but check back on Monday.

Collection centers in NYC to recycle your eclipse glasses:

Astronomers Without Borders, a non-profit organization, is also running an eclipse glasses recycling drive and has called for new collection centers that would box and ship the used glasses after the eclipse. After 2017’s eclipse, the organization took millions of donated glasses and sent them to South America, Asia, Africa and South America for use in their respective celestial events.

We will update this once recycling/donation centers are announced.