- The Sunglass Fix

National Recycling Week x Planet Ark

National Recycling Week 2026 runs from 9 to 15 November. It's the week's 30th year, and we're marking it by becoming a supporter of Planet Ark, the not-for-profit that has been helping Australians recycle right since 1996.

What is National Recycling Week?

Planet Ark has run National Recycling Week every November for 30 years. The idea is simple: help Australians get better at recycling and managing their rubbish.

Part of that is putting the right things in the right bin. But it also means thinking a step earlier. Before something gets recycled, can it be used for longer? Can it be fixed?

This thinking is called the waste hierarchy. It is a widely recognised approach to managing resources and waste, and it puts actions in this order: refuse, rethink, reduce, reuse, repair, repurpose and recycle. Recycling matters, but keeping things in use is even better. It means fewer new materials, and less water and energy going into making replacements.

Blue recycling bin with reuse recycle logo in white

Why we're getting involved

We're a member of 1% for the Planet, which means we give 1% of our annual sales to environmental organisations. Planet Ark's National Recycling Week is now one of them.

For us it was an easy fit, because reuse is at the heart of everything we do. Scratched lenses are one of the main reasons people throw out perfectly good sunglasses. The frames are fine, the hinges are fine, and they still fit the way you like. It just feels like you're looking through fog.

So instead of buying a new pair, we cut replacement lenses for the frames you already own. We've been doing it for 20 years from our lab in Billinudgel, just outside Byron Bay, for more than 14,000 sunglass models. In that time we've kept more than half a million pairs out of landfill. We post the lenses to you and you pop them in at home.

In October we opened up the lab for International Repair Day. Supporting National Recycling Week feels like the natural next step. Same idea, bigger reach.

Signs made of drift wood saying Reuse and Recycle

Where the support goes

Our support helps Planet Ark deliver National Recycling Week, a nationwide campaign that encourages Australians to rethink waste and take practical steps towards a more circular economy.

Can you recycle sunglasses?

In most areas, sunglasses can't go in your kerbside recycling bin. They're usually made from several materials joined together, such as plastic or acetate frames, metal hinges and screws, and coated lenses, and recycling facilities can't easily separate them. Small items also tend to slip through the sorting machinery.

If the frames are still in good shape, keeping them in use is the better option. When only the lenses are scratched, replacement lenses can give them years more wear. For vintage or hard-to-identify frames, we can custom cut lenses to fit.

How you can get involved this week

Red sunglasses with badly scratched lenses held against blue sky

Got a pair you've given up on?

If you know the brand and model, find your sunglasses and order replacement lenses cut to fit. For vintage or rare frames, send them to us, and our custom cut service traces new lenses from your actual frames. Not sure which sunglass model you have? Get in touch and we'll tell you if we can bring them back to life.

Every set of lenses comes with a 180-day risk-free trial and a lifetime breakage warranty.

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