Keep Feeding the Recycling Lion

For over thirty years, our Club has been collecting used and unwanted pairs of spectacles and hearing aids across the Tendring Area.  The spectacles are sorted and graded and then sent out to the Third World by Lions organisations based in France.  Those spectacles that are not suitable for re-use are broken up for spares or recycling – no part is wasted.  Funds are sometimes raised from any precious metals recovered which are donated to vision related projects at a local level..

Similarly the old Hearing Aids are sent away for refurbishment before again being sent out to those in need in the Third World.

We also collect used or unwanted computer printer cartridges and mobile phones which are sent for recycling to the East Anglian Children’s Hospices to swell their funds to keep them running.

During the year to the end of June 2023, we have collected over 58,000 spectacles and forwarded these to a Lions sorting centre with more awaiting shipment later in the year;  490 unwanted hearing aids have been sent for refurbishment; we have handed over 810 large printer toner cartridges cartridges to the East Anglian Children’s Hospices plus 750 mobile phones which they will use to raise much needed funds to keep their Hospices going.

We collect small printer ink cartridges to raise monies for our own funds and we collected over 4,400 of these which raised over £540.   We have an “Inkbin” for these cartridges in the Co-op Store in Frinton Road at Holland on Sea but they can be placed in any of our collecting bins

You can find our Collection Bins in over 40 locations across the Tendring Area from Brightlingsea to Harwich, from Clacton on Sea to Manningtree. To find a location near you just click here for a comprehensive list.  We also collect used batteries especially hearing aid “button” batteries.

The photograph below shows the result of three months collections of spectacles (over 10,000) boxed up ready for despatch. There is also a selection of mobile phones and printer cartridges ready for delivery to the East Anglian Children’s Hospices’ local shop for onward transmission to raise funds for them.