The solar eclipse that occurred Monday, Aug. 21, was a pretty big deal as people from all over the U.S. flocked to areas of totality and solar eclipse glasses were sold out at just about every store. Now that it’s over, everything is back to normal, and we won’t have another chance to view an eclipse in the U.S. until 2024. That being said, those solar eclipse glasses we just had to have are pretty well useless, unless you just like to stare at the sun. But wait, don’t throw them away—there are plenty of ways to repurpose those glasses and do a little good for other people.
Just because a total eclipse won’t occur here for another seven years doesn’t mean it won’t happen over other places in the world. An eclipse (usually partial) actually occurs every year, but most of the time it is only visible over oceans, so unless you’re sailing the seas, you’re not going to see it. However, the next visible total eclipse over land will occur in 2019, and will be seen over some countries including Chile and Argentina. According to their website, the international organization Astronomers Without Borders is planning a solar eclipse glasses redistribution program, and is encouraging people who purchased glasses to return them to the seller, if they are a part of the program. Once donated, the glasses could end up in many places all over the world, where people may not have access to them or cannot afford them, helping to give them the same fun experience that we had here.
If donating the glasses is too much of a hassle, they can also be recycled as most are made from cardboard. However, the lenses are not recyclable, so don’t forget to remove them first if you choose to do this.
I asked other students what they planned to do with their glasses. Many people weren’t aware of the glasses redistribution program, but most students just planned on holding on to their glasses. “I think I’ll keep them as a souvenir,” said freshman business student Madison Dahl. And, if you hold on to them long enough (seven years), you can reuse them again for the next solar eclipse. Just check the numbers on the inside of the frames, as NASA has stated that only ones with numbers beginning in ISO 123-12.2 are safe to use after three years.
Whether you choose to reuse, recycle or repurpose your solar glasses, make an effort to do something good for the planet, yourself or someone halfway across the world.
