Wakefield glasses and hearing aid wearers asked to donate unused products

Glasses and hearing aid wearers in Wakefield can now donate and recycle their unused equipment, as Bayfield Opticians and Audiologists has pledged to support people living with eye and ear conditions around the world. 

Bayfields, located at 73 Northgate, has partnered with The Lions Club to launch its glasses and hearing aid recycling programme, available to people attending the store for an appointment. Equipment donated will be matched to people with similar prescriptions living in underprivileged locations, to support the work of eye and hearing clinics around the world. Any parts of the glasses or hearing aids that can’t be used by another person will be sold on, with proceeds donated to other eye-related projects in the UK, or they will be recycled into other products. 

Having previously trialled similar schemes in individual stores, it’s the first time Bayfields has launched the glasses and hearing aid recycling initiative company-wide, meaning the programme is now available to people in 23 practices around the country. 

Bayfields is urging its clients due to attend appointments to check their homes for unused glasses and hearings aids and bring them to store where they can be safely dropped off, rather than throw them away. 

Royston Bayfield, founder of Bayfields Opticians and Audiologists, said: “Experts predict that globally, 100,000 tonnes of plastic eyewear frames are wasted every year, and when discarded hearing aids are also taken into account this figure is much higher. But the reality is that there are lots of people around the world who can’t easily access glasses and hearing equipment, who would hugely benefit from them.

“Rather than throwing away glasses and hearing aids that are no longer used, we’d like the people of Wakefield to bring their equipment to our store, where it will be passed on to The Lions Club. In their care, the materials will either be put to great use helping someone in an underprivileged country to see or hear better or will be recycled into other products. 

“There is a responsibility on all of us to minimise the amount of waste entering landfill, but more than this, to help people whose lives will be vastly improved by being provided with basic pieces of healthcare. No donation is too small, and no frame or aid too old – simply bring along whatever you’re no longer using. It’ll make a huge difference to someone.”

Find out more about Bayfields Opticians and Audiologists, or book an appointment, here.