Now that the total solar eclipse is over, Austin city leaders are asking you to properly dispose of your solar eclipse glasses if you are not going to keep them.
Minutes after totality, KVUE's Tyler Feldman spotted glasses thrown on the ground.
Photo by Tyler Feldman, via KVUE
Austin Resource Recovery is discouraging that behavior.
"We definitely are discouraging people from just disposing of those by throwing them on the ground, throwing them in the trash, and definitely want to discourage putting them in any of the curbside carts," said Andres Cantu, Austin Resource Recovery PIO.
Don't put the glasses in the blue curbside recycling bins because experts said parts of the glasses are not recyclable. Experts said the way they are manufactured with glue, Mylar filter and carbon make them not very eco-friendly.
Instead, you can drop them off at Austin Parks and Recreation facilities, Austin Public Libraries, cultural and nature centers, or the Austin Recycle and Reuse Drop off center through April 26. Cantu said the boxes will be located outside of the buildings.
The city is donating the glasses to "Astronomers Without Borders," a nonprofit focused on getting these lenses to the under-served worldwide.
"In six months, the next eclipse in October, that is going to hit the southern part of South America," said Andrew Fazekas with Astronomers Without Borders, "so, Chile, Argentina, and there's some really remote communities with schools that just don't have access to eclipse glasses."
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Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.
