Sustainable practice
Earth Day 2022 has given us the opportunity to reflect on how we as a practice are working towards becoming more sustainable in everything we do, making small changes across the business to add up to make a big difference.
As a healthcare provider, we’re all too aware of the amount of waste that is generated in the sector. As an independent business, we’re accountable for our actions and hope that by making these small changes, we can encourage our whole community to do what they can to protect the future of our planet.
Will you join us?
Recycling glasses and sunglasses
Did you know that you can recycle your unused glasses and sunglasses with us? We have a drop box in store which is kindly collected by the Burgess Hill Lions Club. Glasses that are suitable for reusing are sorted, graded and sent to people in need overseas. All other pairs are broken down into their components and responsibly recycled.
Never throw away another pair of glasses or sunglasses! It doesn’t matter if you bought them from us or not, we can accept any form of eyewear that can be reused or recycled.
Lens cleaner refills
Everyone needs clean glasses, and with our refillable lens cleaner you can ensure you’re cleaning your specs in an environmentally friendly way.
Seagreen is the first environmentally friendly biodegradable formula of lens cleaner, manufactured from biorenewable resources. It removes fingerprints, dust and dirt from your lenses, leaving a streak free, antistatic finish.
Buy a bottle of Seagreen lens cleaner for just £1 and pop in when you need a refill – we’ll refill your lens cleaner for you. Refills are just £1, or free for our Vision Care Plan customers.
Lens cleaner refills
Everyone needs clean glasses, and with our refillable lens cleaner you can ensure you’re cleaning your specs in an environmentally friendly way.
Seagreen is the first environmentally friendly biodegradable formula of lens cleaner, manufactured from biorenewable resources. It removes fingerprints, dust and dirt from your lenses, leaving a streak free, antistatic finish.
Buy a bottle of Seagreen lens cleaner for just £1 and pop in when you need a refill – we’ll refill your lens cleaner for you. Refills are just £1, or free for our Vision Care Plan customers.
Contact lens recycling
We’re proud to be part of the The ACUVUE® Contact Lens Recycle Programme by Terracycle, which has helped to keep 3.3 million contact lenses and packaging out of landfill since 2019.
Most contact lenses, blister packs and foil covers can’t easily be recycled from home, which is why we’ve put a handy recycling box in our reception area. Simply drop off your contact lenses and packaging to be recycled with Terracycle. Why not ask your friends and family if you can collect theirs too? Every little bit helps to make a positive difference.
Drop your contact lenses for recycling at Hassocks Eyecare, 17 Keymer Rd, Hassocks BN6 8AD.
Eco eyewear
We already stock several brands that design and produce their frames for glasses and sunglasses in a sustainable way, like Eco and PALA eyewear, with more brands on their way to our shop.
Eco has made it their mission to use recycled and biobased material in their frames and for every purchase made, Eco will plant a tree. Working with Trees for the Future, they have planted over 2.9 million trees so far – a number that keeps growing.
PALA Eyewear are certified B Corp and on a journey towards making their designs as sustainable as possible. PALA offer both recycled acetate and bio-based designs, housed in eco-friendly recyclable packaging. Browse some of their most popular designs below.
Paper not plastic
If we need to supply you with a bag for your purchase, we use sustainably produced paper bags rather than plastic bags. Paper bags decompose much quicker than plastic bags (which can take 400-1000 years to decompose) and are therefore less likely to be a source of litter and a risk to our Sussex wildlife.
Our paper bags can be reused numerous times, then recycled or composted.
Paperless communication
We realise that not all our patients are online, however we advocate the use of email updates and reminders over letters (unlike some of the national chains of opticians). Sending paper reminders by post generates unnecessary waste and transportation, which can be avoided with a quick and simple email.
If you would like to update your contact preferences, please call us on 01273 843946.
Lighting in our practice
It’s important that our practice is well lit so that we can examine your eyes in the best possible light. All the lights in our practice are either LED or other low energy options and are all switched off at night.
2022 and beyond
Are we doing enough? There is always room for improvement, so if you can suggest any way in which we can operate more sustainability now or in the future, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.