Achi news desk-
With millions of pairs of eclipse glasses now in people’s homes, the question remains: What do we do with them now?
Before tossing them in the recycling bin, it’s worth noting that a partial solar eclipse will occur in less than a year.
“We encourage everyone to keep their glasses on,” said Montreal Planetarium spokeswoman Anne Bourgoin. “They can be used to view future solar and solar eclipses, such as the partial eclipse on March 29, 2025.”
CTV News science and technology expert Dan Riskin said the glasses could work to view the unobscured sun on any clear day.
“The sun is something that… we never look at, because it hurts,” he said. “They’re the best for eclipses, but these glasses, they still have a use.”
Those who don’t want their glasses can also turn them into a planetarium, which is a collection point for the glasses recycling program of Astronomers Without Borders.
The Fire Services Office of the Municipality of Cornwall in Ontario is another relatively close drop off point.
The US-based program has been sending eclipse sunglasses since 2008 and has “helped bring glasses to people who might not otherwise have a safe way to view the eclipse directly,” the organization’s website says.
The glasses placed at the Montreal Planetarium will be tested and redistributed free of charge by Astronomers Without Borders.
“In this way, the glasses are reused for educational and humanitarian purposes while having a positive impact on the environment,” said Burgoyne.
The Astronomers Without Borders program carries only American Paper Optics and Rainbow Symphony glasses, as they are the only manufacturers the program recognizes as making glasses strong enough to be stored for years, the planetarium said.
Glasses can be sent to the planetarium by mail or picked up in person.
According to NASA, the next total solar eclipse will occur on August 12, 2024 and will touch Greenland, Iceland and northern Russia, in addition to a small part of Portugal and Spain.
