How to recycle, reuse or donate your eclipse glasses

The eclipse is over, but there’s no need to chuck your eclipse glasses in the trash.

Modern eclipse glasses don’t expire, according to the American Astronomical Society (AAS). So you or someone else could still get some use out of those shades during future eclipses. Here’s what to do with them:

Reuse them

If you bought glasses for this year’s eclipse, you should be able to use them forever, as long as they aren’t scratched, torn, punctured or loose in their frames, according to the AAS.

Just make sure they meet the ISO 12312-2 safety standard and came from a company on the AAS list of safe suppliers. Older glasses sold before 2015 may not meet those standards and may come with a three-year expiration date.

That means you can hold onto your glasses until the next partial solar eclipse visible in the United States in 2026 or the next total solar eclipse in the United States in 2044. You could also travel to see eclipses around the world — or use your old glasses to stare at the uneclipsed sun to your heart’s content.

Donate them

If you don’t plan on using your eclipse glasses again, you can donate them to Astronomers Without Borders or Eclipse Glasses USA. These organizations ship free glasses to teachers, students and astronomy enthusiasts in countries that are about to experience an eclipse.

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You can drop off undamaged eclipse glasses at any Warby Parker store until April 30 to donate to Astronomers Without Borders. After the 2017 eclipse, the nonprofit took in millions of donated glasses, sorted out the undamaged pairs and sent them to eclipse viewers in South America, Asia and Africa, according to its website.

You can also mail your used but undamaged glasses to Eclipse Glasses USA. Full mailing instructions, including the company’s P.O. Box address, are on its website.

Recycle them

If you are going to throw out your eclipse glasses, you can remove the lenses and recycle the cardboard frame. The lenses themselves aren’t recyclable, so you should toss them in the trash.

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