Don’t throw away those eclipse glasses! Put them to better use

Seth Kurkowski | Apr 15 2024 - 7:45 am PT

You’ve probably had those eclipse glasses laying around for the last week, unsure of what to do with them and inching them closer and closer to the trash bin. But don’t! There’s a much better place to send them if you don’t plan on using them again.

With the next total eclipse not coming back to this part of the world until 2044, you might be wondering what to do with those glasses you bought for last week’s eclipse.

While there will be two partial eclipses passing over the continental US before the end of the decade, those are still many years away. So instead of throwing them in the trash or putting them in a drawer and losing them forever, why don’t you donate them?

Eclipse Glasses USA, a site many of you probably used to purchase your glasses before, is taking donations of used eclipse glasses. These glasses will be given to schools in other parts of the world so that they can view the eclipse safely.

Eclipse Glasses USA’s donation program is more than just a charitable initiative. It’s a movement that aims to bring people together, irrespective of geographical boundaries, under the vast canopy of the universe. It’s about sharing, caring, and ensuring that the wonders of the cosmos are accessible to all, especially the curious minds of the future.
Eclipse glasses usa website

The next solar eclipse, an annular eclipse, will be taking place in South America later this year and Eclipse USA hopes to donate glasses to as many schools down there that can’t afford to provide glasses for their own students.

Without these glasses, students either have to rely on viewing shadows through pinholes (a cool but rather unexciting method of viewing) or other non-direct viewing methods. However, many times students will risk their own eyesight to view the eclipse directly, unprotected.

Even if the Sun is blocked 99% of the way by the Moon, the radiation put off by the Sun is so powerful it can still cause damage to your eyes. Even worse, because it seems less intense, staring at a mostly blocked Sun is less painful, meaning it feels safe but still is not.

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Donation qualifications

If you wish to donate your glasses to Eclipse Glasses USA, they will need to pass a few qualifications to ensure quality and reduce liability.

Your glasses must be undamaged. That means no tears, holes, cuts that would cause the Sun’s light and radiation to seep through.

Also, the glasses will need to have the manufacturer’s name and address listed on the glasses as well as the ISO logo displayed.

You can still send your glasses in but any pair that does not meet these standards will be disposed of. They take both single pairs mailed in an envelope or bulk glasses in boxes. You can mail the glasses to the address below: