Earth 911 states that 'more than 4 million pairs of reading glasses are thrown away every year in North America' that’s about 250 tones or 4032 ave rage weighing humans (or 2228 John Cena's). That is just North America...
Most of these glasses are in perfect condition, easily repairable or could've been recycled.
Modern day materials used (such as acetate) is almost infinitely recyclable. It can easily be upcycled, renewed and there are many new advances into bio-degradable acetate.
Not only this, most acetate is made from natural materials such as cotton and wood pulp.
I have been repurposing spectacles for a while. They either get sold as refurbished, given to universities for their optical exams or if they are fully beyond repair, they will be repurposed or recycled.
I use a thorough system. First, they are dismantled and checked for any damage.
Then they are placed in an ultrasonic cleaner and then deep cleaned with a tooth brush and hot soapy water.
Once cleaned, they are put through a two-step polish process and reassembled.
Lastly they are tucked into their case with a cloth to keep them warm before being delivered to you.
Examples of refurbished frames (Ollie Quinn, Ted Baker and Giorgio Armani).
There have been many times when I worked in an Opticians we said we cannot repair them but we could put the lenses into a new frame. This is a great alternative but the ‘broken’ spectacles were then disposed of.
took the time to research repair techniques so I could pride myself on sustainability. I have been able to start with simple repairs and increase difficulty by repairing snapped spectacles and hinges
Broken nose pad replaced in frame with screw-in pads.