FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Would you like to donate spectacles or other items, but don’t know where to start?
Here’s a list of our most frequently asked questions to help.
WHAT WE COLLECT
Do you collect spectacles?
Yes, we do! We have been collecting them since 1967 and now collect over one million pairs every year from across the UK. We opened our second recycling centre in our National HQ in Birmingham in October 2021.
Does that include sunglasses?
Yes we will take sunglasses too.
Do you take bifocals, varifocals and trifocals?
Yes, we take all of these types of glasses.
Do you take rimless and semi rimless glasses?
Yes, we are happy to accept these too – as long as they are complete and can be reused.
Can I include cloths and cases?
No. Please only send in complete pairs of glasses to us – do not include cloths, cases, or loose lenses.
What about contact lenses?
Sorry, we only collect spectacles and cannot accept contact lenses.
Do you also collect hearing aids?
Yes we do collect all hearing equipment and these can be sent to our Birmingham recycling centre:
Lions Clubs International British Isles
257 Alcester Road South
Kings Heath
Birmingham
B14 6DT
Do you collect anything else?
Yes we do collect unused or unwanted bras in conjunction with Breast cancer UK and Foreign currency which we convert to donations for our Gift For Living Project. These can be sent to the Birmingham recycling centre at the address above.
HOW DO I GET THEM TO YOU?
Can I send my spectacles in the post?
Yes, you can post your spectacles to us. Please make sure that you have packed them well and do not wrap them individually or put into plastic bags.
Can I drop my glasses off somewhere instead?
Yes! We have a map with a full list of UK Lions Clubs and you can contact your local club to find out where their collection points are.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
What do you do with donated spectacles?
All the specs you send us are sorted by a team of volunteers in our recycling centres. They are then graded and shipped to many countries around the world where they are needed.
Spectacles that cannot be reused are recycled to enable us to give financial support to eye related projects in the UK and overseas.
Where do you send spectacles?
We have shipped spectacles directly to known contacts undertaking eye clinics in Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka, Ghana, Nigeria and Nepal. We support volunteers from the ‘Unite for Sight’ charity with a supply of spectacles to take with them on missions to countries across the world.
