Bausch + Lomb Recycles More Than 76 Million Units of Contact Lenses

VAUGHAN, Ontario --Bausch + Lomb Corporation (NYSE/TSX: BLCO), a leading global eye health company dedicated to helping people see better to live better, announced its exclusive ONE by ONE and Biotrue Eye Care Recycling programs have collected a total of 76,645,000 million units, or 464,100 pounds, of used contact lenses, eye care and lens care materials in the United States, which is equivalent to the weight of 140 hippos¹.

“As a result of the contributions of eye care professionals, patients and consumers, these award-winning programs continue to help keep recyclable plastic and aluminum eye health packaging materials ­out of landfills and oceans,” said Amy Butler, vice president, Global Environment, Health, Safety and Sustainability, Bausch + Lomb.

Contact lenses, eye care and lens care materials aren’t typically processed in standard recycling facilities due to the small size and the type of plastic used to manufacture them. As a result, they can end up in landfills or waterways. In the United States, it is estimated that six to 10 metric tons of contact lenses end up in wastewater each year, which can pollute aquatic environments and eventually impact the human food supply.

“My patients appreciate being able to recycle their used eye health materials through the Bausch + Lomb recycling programs in an environmentally responsible way,” said Jennifer Tsai, O.D., LINE OF SIGHT, New York. “It allows them, and our practice, to be part of the solution.”

The ONE by ONE Recycling program has collected more than 76 million used contact lenses, blister packs and top foils since the program’s launch in November 2016. The Biotrue Eye Care Recycling program, which launched in April 2021, has collected more than 645,000 eye drop single dose units, lens cases, lens solution caps as well as all Biotrue-branded eye drops bottles (lens solution bottles are recyclable through standard recycling in accordance with local recycling guidelines).

In addition to the United States, Bausch + Lomb has a similar contact lens recycling program in Canada called Every Contact Counts. To learn more about the Bausch + Lomb ONE by ONE Recycling program, visit www.BauschRecycles.com. To learn more about the Biotrue Eye Care Recycling program, visit https://www.biotrue.com/terracycle/.

About the ONE by ONE Recycling Program

The Bausch + Lomb ONE by ONE Recycling program is the first and only contact lens recycling program in the United States. This program collects used contact lenses, top foils and opened plastic blister packs from any brand and is available to contact lens wearers and eye care professionals. Nearly 14,000 eye care practices are registered as official recycling centers of the program. To participate, contact lens wearers can bring their used contact lenses and packaging to one of these practices, which collects the used materials in a custom recycling bin provided by Bausch + Lomb. Once the bin is filled, the optometry practice ships the materials using a Bausch + Lomb pre-paid shipping label to TerraCycle^® where it is cleaned and melted into hard plastic pellets that can be used to make new recycled products.

About the Biotrue Eye Care Recycling Program

The Bausch + Lomb Biotrue Eye Care Recycling program is the first and only eye care and lens care recycling program in the United States. This program allows consumers who participate to properly recycle all brands of their eye drop single dose units, lens cases and lens solution caps, as well as all Biotrue-branded eye drops bottles. Once consumers collect these items, they can be mailed to TerraCycle using a pre-paid shipping label. When the waste arrives at the TerraCycle facility, it is cleaned and melted into hard plastic pellets that can be used to make new recycled products.

About Bausch + Lomb

Bausch + Lomb is dedicated to protecting and enhancing the gift of sight for millions of people around the world – from the moment of birth through every phase of life. Its comprehensive portfolio of more than 400 products includes contact lenses, lens care products, eye care products, ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, over-the-counter products and ophthalmic surgical devices and instruments. Founded in 1853, Bausch + Lomb has a significant global research and development, manufacturing and commercial footprint with approximately 13,000 employees and a presence in nearly 100 countries. Bausch + Lomb is headquartered in Vaughan, Ontario with corporate offices in Bridgewater, New Jersey. For more information, visit www.bausch.com and connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.