Got glasses? Eyeglasses, that is. When you use them, they are one of the most necessary things in your life. When you're done with a pair, though, what can you do with them? If you are not planning to use them for an aspiring avant-garde art project or frying bugs in the hot summer sun, they could be recycled. Even better, you could recycle your eyeglasses by donating them to a charity.
Operation Eyesight Universal is a Canadian charity that collects used eyeglasses. They then provide eye exams and distribute the used glasses to people in developing countries. The donated eyeglasses are refitted for a person in a Third World country who has difficulty seeing but can't afford glasses.
It's effective recycling. In 1999, OEU delivered 409,240 pairs of used eyeglasses to 21 developing countries, such as Vietnam, Ghana and Guatemala. That's thousands of glasses that otherwise would have gone into your local trash pile and, ultimately, into one of Japan's great landfills.