Eclipse glasses can be recycled at Bernheim

Bernheim Arboretum is inviting communities to recycle their eclipse glasses for a good cause now that the solar event has come and gone for North America.

Bernheim is collecting the glasses until Sept. 30 to send to schools in South America and parts of Asia, who will experience an eclipse in 2019. All donated glasses go to Astronomers Without Borders, who will make sure they meet NASA standards before redistributing them to a collection organization.

Solar eclipse glasses only work safely for five years so any glasses purchased this year will not be safe to use for the 2024 total solar eclipse this area will experience.

“We are (a) conservation organization,” said Mark Wourms, Ph. D, Bernheim’s executive director. “Passing the glasses along allows an item to be used that otherwise would be thrown away.”

Wourms add that the recycling program provides glasses to those who might not have access themselves – allowing children to safely view the event.

A receptacle for the glasses is available in the Visitor Center, open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and they also are being accepted at the Entrance Kiosk on weekends.