Thinking of getting rid of certified glasses after the solar eclipse on April 8? A moment! They could remain useful for years to observe other astronomical phenomena here or elsewhere instead of ending up in recycling.
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“Save them to glance at the Sun from time to time, when it is very active. There will be small spots that are visible,” recommends Marie-Eve Naud, an astrophysicist at the University of Montreal.
Astrophysicist Marie-Eve Naud suggests keeping your certified glasses to watch other astronomical phenomena or donating them to a school.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MARIE-EVE NAUD
For the person who popularizes science at the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets, it is unthinkable to recycle a scientific tool that was still difficult to find a week ago.
She argues that between now and the next total eclipse of 2079, in the Magdalen Islands, there will be many other things to observe in the sky in the coming years, starting with the next partial eclipses, the March 29, 2025 and August 12, 2026 in Quebec.
Collections
If we really don’t care, the astrophysicist advises paying it forward. Several schools could use what remains a rare, affordable scientific tool for them.
“When I give astronomy workshops in schools, it remains the punchlook at the sun with the glasses at the end, not even an eclipse,” she emphasizes.
“It’s non-perishable. As long as the filters are in good condition, they can be kept in an envelope or between two pages of a book,” says Camille Turcotte, general director of the Association for the Teaching of Science and Technology in Quebec.
Astrophysicist Marie-Eve Naud suggests keeping your certified glasses in a book so as not to damage them.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MARIE-EVE NAUD
Otherwise, organizations collect them to send them to other countries where there will be eclipses in the coming years.
This is the case of the educational website EduMedia which will send them to schools in northern Africa, where a total eclipse will take place in 2027.
The Planetarium collects glasses from manufacturers American Paper Optics and Rainbow Symphony.
They will be sent to the organization Astronomers Without Borders which will distribute them in less fortunate countries where there will be an eclipse, explains Anne Bourgoin, communications manager for Space for Life, in an email.
Recycling
If your glasses are folded, you have crushed them, you can opt for the recycling bin, according to Mme Naud.
But only the printed cardboard frame goes in the bin. Laminated plastic lenses cannot be recycled, indicates Grégory Pratt, expert in residual materials management.
By throwing the lenses in the trash yourself, you will give a helping hand to sorting centers which risk being “flooded” with non-recyclable plastic.
“The percentage of plastic could increase in a bale [si les lentilles ne sont pas retirées des lunettes], which should be 95% cardboard. It will make the material impure,” he says.
Where to give your glasses?
- At the Montreal Planetarium, which collects glasses from manufacturers American Paper Optics and Rainbow Symphony. They can be sent by post or on site. 4801 avenue Pierre-De Coubertin, Montreal
- To EduMedia, which sends them to schools in northern Africa. 835 avenue Turnbull, Quebec
- At the Frédéric Back Culture and Environment Center, in Quebec. 870 avenue de Salaberry, Quebec
With Andrea Lubeck, 24 Hours