What to do with those eclipse glasses? You can recycle them on campus this month

UB Sustainability has partnered with Astronomers Without Borders to set up recycling stations for eclipse glasses on North and South Campus.

The initiative aims to reduce waste by sending the collected glasses to communities in Africa, Asia and North and South America for future eclipses. Astronomers Without Borders has been organizing the program since 2008.

“As a large public institution with nearly 35,000 students — not including faculty and staff — we acknowledged the need to step in and do something with all the leftover eclipse glasses,” Michael Griffin, a Master's student studying Sustainability Leadership and a student assistant at UB Sustainability office, wrote in an email to The Spectrum.

UB Sustainability discovered Astronomers Without Borders after an email was forwarded to the office. After reviewing the group’s work, Sustainability inquired with them about becoming a member organization.

“Their framework for glasses collection seemed adaptable to our university and was feasible for our office to implement,” Griffin said. “The flexibility of their parameters allowed us to model this initiative to fit the university’s needs.”

According to Griffin, the initiative aligns with the university’s goal to minimize its environmental footprint and could help change students’ habits.

“Supporting initiatives like this promotes a culture of recycling and environmental responsibility within the university and encourages the broader community to reflect on their own consumption and waste habits,” Griffin said.

The recycling stations are located at the Sustainability Center on 20 Sprague Road in Amherst, 1Diefendorf on South Campus and 1Capen on North Campus. Collections conclude on May 1.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to more accurately reflect Michael Griffin's course of study.

Alisha Allison is an assistant news editor and can be reached at alisha.allison@ubspectrum.com