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What To Do With Your Pair Of Solar Eclipse Glasses

An older couple looks up at the sky while wearing orange eclipse glasses.
Viewers observe the solar eclipse from CalTech in Pasadena on April 8, 2024.
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Brian Feinzimer
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LAist
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You may have gotten a pair of solar eclipse glasses to check out Monday’s celestial event, and now you have an extra pair of shades you can’t use. Here’s what to do with them.

Give them a second life: Astronomers Without Borders is collecting solar eclipse glasses to send around the world. The nonprofit says they’ll hand them out during the next opportunity for an eclipse, which is scheduled for 2026. It’ll be visible in Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and parts of Portugal.

You can either send them to the nonprofit or find a local drop-off center, including Warby Parker locations.

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Another place to donate: Eclipse Glasses USA only accepts undamaged and U.S.-made paperboard solar eclipse glasses. That means you’ll need to make sure your pair has the ISO logo on them.

Keep in mind: NASA says most glasses shouldn’t be used if they’re more than three years old. So it might be a good idea to donate or recycle them now since it’ll be decades before Los Angeles will see another solar eclipse.

And if you must toss them, the American Academy of Ophthalmology says to remove the lenses and recycle the cardboard.

In case you missed it ... Here’s a recap of Southern California’s partial solar eclipse show. 

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