"...Recycling is a series of activities that includes collecting recyclable materials that would otherwise be considered waste, sorting and processing recyclables into raw materials such as fibers, and manufacturing raw materials into new products...." so says one definition for recycling, from the E.P.A. sort your paper, your glass, your plastic and etc. etc. Some cities require it, some are volumtary. But, not one requires the recycling of eye glasses.
You know, those things on your nose, or irritating your ear - your glasses. Every couple of years we get a new pair, and toss the old ones in a drawer. They will stay there forever and ever getting moved & shuffled, and moved again.
But wait...why not recycle them as well. That's where the Frostburg Lions Club comes in. WE RECYCLE OLD EYE GLASSES. That's right.
Maryland has a population of approximately 5.6 million citizens. Of these folks 61%, at a miniumum, or 3.6 million Marylanders wear glasses. If we think this through and figure that everyone gets a new pair, say every five years - that a minimum of 7.2 million pairs of eye glass DISCARDED every 10 years. Let's bring these numbers home to get a real picture.
Frostburg, MD in the 2000 census had a population of 7873. Those wearing glasses - 61% - 4802, and since 2000 we can figure that these 4802 persons each got a new pair of glasses - that means that there are, at a minimun 4802 pairs of discarded glasses laying around our houses.
FROSTBURG LIONS WANT THOSE GLASSES. We can recycle those glasses. You are not required by law to recycle eye glasses, you might think they are of no use at all, but please take our word, old eye glasses are the thing, THE NEW RECYCLABLE. Our slogan "keeping vision in sight" come from recycling eye glasses.
Frostburg Lions Club, (and other Lions Clubs around the world) collect old, used, discarded eye glasses. We them clean them, sort them, pack them, ship them to distribution centers where they are calibrated. From there if repairs are need, they are made and the glasses are distributed worldwide by Lions Clubs and provided FREE OF CHARGE to those who would otherwise not be in a position to afford eye glasses. We do "keep vision in sight".
Won't you help out. We need to collect these eye glasses. If we can get just 25 % of these old eye glasses, that would be approximately 1200 pairs, we could give a world of vision to twelve hundred people. As a community wouldn't that make us proud.
Dig in the dresser drawer, the junk drawer, the desk, purse, and old jacket pockets and find those glasses.
We have drop off centers around Frostburg that will be pleased to take your old eye glasses. From there Lions will pick them up, and you know the rest from reading above.
