Alaffia Eyeglass Drive
Where: All MOM’s Recycling Centers
When: Entire month of July
Why:
To date Alaffia has distributed 28,000 pairs of eyeglasses to children struggling in school and adults with failing vision in Togo, West Africa.
In Togo:
- 1 eye exam= 1 months wage
- 1 pair of eyeglasses = 4 months wage
What to bring:
- Eyeglasses
- Sunglasses (prescription and non-prescription)
- Frames
- Lenses
- Cases
Where: All MOM’s Recycling Centers
When: Entire month of July
Why:
To date Alaffia has distributed 28,000 pairs of eyeglasses to children struggling in school and adults with failing vision in Togo, West Africa.
In Togo:
- 1 eye exam= 1 months wage
- 1 pair of eyeglasses = 4 months wage
What to bring:
- Eyeglasses
- Sunglasses (prescription and non-prescription)
- Frames
- Lenses
- Cases
Recycle Center
Recycle Center
Items We Accept Daily
* Shoe recycling is on hold starting May 1st because our partner is unable to make pickups due to covid.
* Cork recycling is on hold starting June 23rd because our partner is unable to make pickups due to covid.
Annual Drives
Cell phones and Tablets are recycled through Secure the Call.
Accepted items: Cell phones, tablets, and their chargers
Best practices for recycling: Please erase any personal information, photos, and private data from old phones/tablets and remove cases. Please include chargers with cell phone/tablet.
What happens to the waste: Cell phones/tablets are donated to those in high risk areas who may need quick access to 911.
Learn more about the recycling process.
Batteries are recycled through Battery Solutions.
Accepted items: Alkaline, Zinc Carbon, Nickel Cadmium (NiCd), Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH), Lithium-ion, Lithium Primary, Mercury Batteries, Silver Oxide, Button Cells, and Lead Acid – Non-Spillable
Best practices for recycling: Please take large batteries or batteries with terminals to the Customer Service/Help Desk for safe handling. Batteries with terminals need to have terminals covered with tape.
What happens to the waste: Each battery is recycled differently. Learn more about the recycling process.
Accepted items: All food waste including eggshells, coffee grinds & plastics that say ‘compostable’ or ‘biodegradable,’ MOM’s reusable bags, plus any item from Naked Lunch (food containers, cups, napkins, and utensils)
What happens to the waste: Alaffia collects glasses and employs an optometrist in Togo, Africa to correctly fit and distribute them to the visually impaired. Normally, a pair of glasses can cost up to 4 months of wages. Alaffia has collected and distributed over 14,200 pairs of glasses. The Lions Recycle for Sight program has volunteers who clean, sort by prescription strength and package the glasses. Recycled glasses are then distributed to people in need in low & middle income communities.
Shoes are recycled through Planet Aid.
Accepted items: Both new and worn-out/unwearable shoes including sneakers, sandals, and other footwear
Best practices for recycling: If shoes have laces, please tie matching shoes together. If you need any assistance, feel free to ask a MOM’s employee.
What happens to the waste: Shoes that can no longer be worn are reprocessed into pillow stuffing, carpet padding, wiping cloths, and other products. Learn more about the recycling process.
Natural Cork is recycled through ReCORK More details here.
Accepted waste: Natural cork only. Synthetic corks are not allowed and will contaminate the collection.
Best practices for recycling: Please take corks out of bags used to transport them and distribute into MOM’s Recycling Center cork bin.
What happens to the waste: The cork is shipped to our recycling Partner, ReCORK where it is grinded and used to make new sustainable items such as cork yoga blocks, surf traction pads and soles for shoes.
Accepted items: All types of denim including colored, embellished, and printed; all articles are included as well – pants, jackets, shirts, skirts, etc.
Best practices for recycling: Please only bring clean, dry denim for recycling. Stores like Madewell, H&M, and Levi’s often provide year round denim recycling.
What happens to the waste: Blue Jeans Go Green™ recycles all denim into UltraTouch™ Denim Insulation and distributes it to charitable organizations for use in community housing projects.
Accepted items: All holiday lights, working or not-working
Best practices for recycling: Please remove lights from bags and place in designated Holiday Lights recycling bin.
What happens to the waste: Capitol Asset Recycling collects all lights, and then breaks them down through smelting or shredding to recover raw commodities. These raw commodities are then used to create roofing and construction materials, piping, car batteries, other electronics, lead wheel weights, flatware, jewelry, and more!