AUSTIN, Texas — 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.
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," Andres Cantu, Austin Resource Recovery's public information officer, said.
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," Andrew Fazekas with Astronomers Without Borders said, "So, Chile, Argentina and there's some really remote communities with schools that just don't have access to eclipse glasses."
Your donation will help give them the chance to see this breathtaking experience.
NASA said if you plan to keep your glasses, as long as they're not scratched or torn and are compliant with the ISO 12312-2 international safety standards, you can use them indefinitely despite any labels saying otherwise.
Here are locations you can drop your used glasses:
- Asian American Resource Center - 8401 Cameron Rd., Austin, TX 78754
- Alamo Recreation Center - 2100 Alamo St., Austin, TX 78722
- Austin Nature & Science Center - 2389 Stratford Dr., Austin, TX 78746
- Austin Recreation Center - 1301 Shoal Creek Blvd., Austin, TX 78701
- Conley-Guerrero Senior Activity Center – 808 Nile St., Austin, TX 78702
- Danny G. McBeth Recreation Center - 2401-A Columbus Dr., Austin, 78746
- Delores Duffie Recreation Center - 1182 North Pleasant Valley Rd., Austin, TX 78702
- Dittmar Recreation Center - 1009 W. Dittmar Rd., Austin, TX 78745
- Dottie Jordan Recreation Center - 2803 Loyola Ln., Austin, TX 78723
- Dougherty Arts Center - 1110 Barton Springs Rd., Austin, TX 78704
- George Morales Dove Springs Recreation Center - 5801 Ainez Dr., Austin, TX 78744
- George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center – 1165 Angelina St., Austin TX 78702
- Givens Recreation Center - 3811 East 12th St., Austin, TX 78721
- Gustavo “Gus” L. Garcia Recreation Center - 1201 E. Rundberg Ln., Austin, TX 78753
- Hancock Recreation Center - 811 E. 41st St., Austin, TX 78751
- Lamar Senior Activity Center - 2874 Shoal Crest Ave., Austin, TX 78705
- Lorraine “Grandma” Camacho Activity Center - 35 Robert Martinez Jr. St., Austin, TX 78702
- Rudolfo “Rudy” Mendez Recreation Center - 2407 Canterbury St., Austin, TX 78702
- Montopolis Recreation and Community Center - 1200 Montopolis Dr., Austin, TX 78741
- Northwest Recreation Center - 2913 Northland Dr., Austin, TX 78757
- Old Bakery and Emporium - 1006 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701
- Oswaldo A.B. Cantu/Pan American Recreation Center - 2100 East 3rd St., Austin, TX 78702
- Parque Zaragoza Recreation Center - 2608 Gonzales St., Austin, TX 78702
- Pickfair Community Center - 10904 Pickfair Dr., Austin, TX 78750
- South Austin Recreation Center - 1100 Cumberland Rd., Austin, TX 78704
- South Austin Senior Activity Center - 3911 Menchaca Rd., Austin, TX 78704
- Turner-Roberts Recreation Center - 7201 Colony Loop Dr., Austin, TX 78724
- Virginia L. Brown Recreation Center - 7500 Blessing Ave., Austin, TX 78752