Where will eclipse glasses go after April 8? Here's what experts say about reusing them.

Cybele Mayes-Osterman, USA TODAY
Updated ·3 min read
1

Editor's note: An updated cloud forecast for the April 2024 total solar eclipse is in. Read the latest eclipse forecast and news as of Wednesday, April 3.

People across the country in the path of the total solar eclipse on April 8 are scrambling to pick up viewing glasses, but few have considered what they'll do with their glasses after the four-and-a-half-minute phenomenon is over.

Before trashing a pair of eclipse glasses, consider this expert's advice about keeping or reusing them.

Eclipse glasses may be inexpensive, but they can last for years. Some glasses made a decade or more ago were printed with messages to throw them away after a certain period of time, but experts now say buyers may be in the clear.

Where to get free eclipse glasses: Sonic, Jeni's, Warby Parker and more giving eclipse glasses away

"In the past 10, 15, 20 years ago, most manufacturers would print on their glasses, 'Discard after three years,"" said Rick Fienberg, project manager of the American Astronomical Society's solar eclipse task force. "That was because the materials being used in the lenses in those days did degrade over time."

American Paper Optics, one of the largest eclipse glasses manufacturers in the U.S., expects to manufacture two thirds more eclipse glasses this year than in 2017.
American Paper Optics, one of the largest eclipse glasses manufacturers in the U.S., expects to manufacture two thirds more eclipse glasses this year than in 2017.

Since then, manufacturers started using more durable material in the glasses, like metal-coated black polymer. "Those don't degrade," Fienberg said.

Fienberg recommends storing eclipse viewers in a safe, dark, protected dry area, like an envelope in your dresser.

"If you open it up five, 10 years later, for another eclipse and you see that there's no pinholes, no scratches, no tears, no rips, no delamination of the lenses or any other obvious damage, they're almost certainly OK," he said.

Is the April 2024 eclipse safe for pets? Why experts want you to leave them at home.

Will there be a shortage of eclipse glasses in 2024?

Amid fears glasses could sell out closer to the big day, as they did before the 2017 eclipse, manufacturers are ramping up their output.

American Paper Optics, one of the country's top makers of the glasses, manufactured about 45 million pairs in the runup to the 2017 eclipse. The company expects to sell more ahead of this year's eclipse.

"We are manufacturing an average of 500,000 glasses a day," Jason Lewin, the company's chief marketing officer, told USA TODAY. "We expect to sell, manufacture close to 75 million glasses."

Nonprofit launches glasses recycling program

One nonprofit is organizing a sustainable alternative to save glasses from ending up in the trash.

Astronomers Without Borders has launched its second eclipse glasses recycling program ahead of April's eclipse.

Formed in 2009, the California-based nonprofit first launched its program ahead of the 2017 eclipse with a dual goal – cutting down on post-eclipse waste, and distributing glasses to underserved communities.

More: April's total solar eclipse will bring a surreal silence and confuse all sorts of animals

"There's so many glasses out there," Andrew Fazekas, AWB's communication manager, told USA TODAY. "How wonderful would it be to be able to reuse them, repurpose them to other countries, to those that don't have access?"

Before the 2017 eclipse, the nonprofit set up about 1,000 collection centers across the U.S., stationed at locations including astronomy clubs, museums, schools and even dentists' and attorneys' offices. Volunteers collected about 3 million glasses that were shipped to a warehouse in Arkansas and vetted by a local astronomy club to ensure they were safe for reuse.

More: The April total solar eclipse could snarl traffic for hours across thousands of miles

"People from all walks of life" chipped in to help, Fazekas said. "It was unbelievable."

The organization already is revving up for the next eclipse. In just six months, one will be visible from a remote area at the southern tip of South America. "There's populations there, and they'll be asking for eclipse glasses," Fazekas said.

Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a breaking news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her on email at cmayesosterman@usatoday.com. Follow her on X @CybeleMO.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are solar eclipse glasses safe to reuse? What experts say.