disposal of spectacles help please

Almost every optician takes old glasses etc. Some take hearing aids too. All get reconditioned and sent to 3rd world countries where they are desperately needed ?

I take mine to Oxfam. They are the only ones I know of who will have them. Specsavers don’t take them.

I have always taken any old glasses to high street opticians.
But thank you chocolate mango for the peeps site. There is also a link on there to Lions club who aren't taking any at the moment because of covid but I was interested to read the link to someone collecting old hearing aids for people in need. Such a shame as recently through some away but am sure there are some more lurking somewhere..

I took several pairs to my local optician and, although their Covid measures are very rigorous, they didn't raise any objection about taking them.

This is a useful site www.recyclenow.com/what-to-do-with

It recommends Marie Curie as accepting old glasses, but with the proviso that all facilities may be affected by Covid.

I took a collection of old glasses to Marie Curie last time I had a sort out.

My optician takes back old specs and passes them onto a sight-oriented charity about twice a year. Ask your optician if they do, as well.

I just took a few pairs to my local hospital eye clinic, they are definitely still taking them.

I’ve just been to Specsavers for a test and asked if they could take old specs for charity now and they said yes. It probably depends on the shop and their storage facilities.

I used to use an optician who collected used specs for sending to Africa to people who cannot afford them.

If you can't find a local charity shop, optician or chemist who knows who to contact, ring to Doctors without Borders - I believe they ran the African scheme.

My husband has recently died and I found 10 pairs of spectacles.
Specsavers would not take them at present but Boots opticians did. They had a container next to the door so I just had to drop them in. They were all in cases or individual plastic bags

Our local Morrison's store has a box, glasses are collected by the Round Table, and sent to charities abroad, the store also has a used batteries box, don't know if it's the same in all Morrison's.

Its ridiculous as they can be thoroughly cleaned!- the charity that were using them must be frantic- what are they supposed to do now then to help these people who can't afford glasses?This is something my son and i always did, donate our previous pairs to the charity.Try the one mentioned by ChocolateMango then -'Peep Eyewear'?Its quite mean and ridiculous of BOOTS in particular,as when i went to their opticians in first lockdown last April i had to try some specs on to choose and all a lady did was wipe them in between with a sterilising wipe!(in end i got mine online!) So surely they can all just thoroughly clean them& put them aside a few days for charity?Maybe some online specs companys are still accepting them? Could try.

polyester57 the optician told me that a charity ‘re-engineers’ them for other countries, even broken ones.

polyester57

Glasses are made for each specific user´s needs, astgmatism, etc. The idea that a poor person or someone in a third world country will be grateful for a nice pair of hand-me-down specs is a bit old fashioned.

Until Covid all opticians did this. There was also a collection point in my local shopping mall.
The poster who worked at Soecsavers explains how it works.

Our local optician takes old spectacles for overseas, and cases to sell for charity, when they are open. I took some during the summer. They have 2 boxes so don’t need to touch them.

Thanks for the info about Specsavers. I'm due to get new glasses in a few weeks and have about six pairs I was going to take in.
I might just ask to have new lenses fitted into a pair of my existing frames. Is this allowed since Covid?

Some local LIONS clubs have collection points. This is a link to ones in Chichester.
Chichester Lions Club: www.chilions.org.uk/donating-spectacles.html

Our doctor's surgery used to have a tray for donated glasses but I suspect not at present due to covid. I've kept meaning to take all mine that are lurking in the house but it will have to wait! They too don't take the cases which seems rather wasteful but it is what it is.

Glasses are made for each specific user´s needs, astgmatism, etc. The idea that a poor person or someone in a third world country will be grateful for a nice pair of hand-me-down specs is a bit old fashioned.

I was in Specsavers a couple of weeks ago and heard a woman ask where she should put her old specs.
They definitely aren’t accepting any.
Just keep them till all Covid has gone.

I think that not taking them "due to Covid" is a complete cop out! These things are hard surfaces and can easily be cleaned with alcohol wipes or even completely immersed in a disinfectant solution if necessary!

And our local recycling centre also takes batteries

When I worked at Specsavers, cleaning the donated specs was part of my job. Some weren't too bad and just needed a thorough wipe with anti bac wipes. Others were really revolting and had to be put in the sonic bath in the glazing lab!
Every little bit of the specs are used - if the lenses are damaged, the frames can often be used for spare parts, right down to the screws.

The Boots optician near us does. Althoigh the donation box is in an office so you have to have them in at the counter.

Not sure if covid has affected it.

Won't local charity shops take them once they re open
Better than wasting them, and I'm sure someone here be grateful for a nice pair specs