At Cherry Optical Lab, we are huge advocates for reducing, reusing, and recycling. We do what we can in and around the Lab to help save the planet whenever possible. Did you know we compress the swarf (excess plastic shavings from surfacing lenses) into dry pucks for reuse? We collect the pucks in gaylords (40" x 40" boxes), and we store these onsite until we've collected 52 gaylords. Why do we keep them until we have 52 full containers? Great question! Fifty-two gaylords are perfect for filling up a 72-foot long, 8.5-foot wide, and 13.5-foot tall semi-truck bed. Once they arrive at Devco Services, the 32,000+ pounds of swarf gets reused. Our swarf ultimately produces plastic decks, benches, etc., and is shipped nationwide. How cool is that?

On a smaller scale, we utilize a compactor for our lens boxes (reducing the number of plastic bags and size in the bins), rechargeable batteries, reusable utensils, and dinnerware in our breakrooms. We also participate in a unique recycling program for our coffee pouches. Since our coffee machines don't use typical pod containers, we can't mix them in the regular bin as they require another level of recycling. Still, our team takes the extra step to recycle these pouches separately. That said, we have several distinct types of recycling bins distributed throughout the Lab to ensure all products make it through the proper channels.

Call us crazy – but we enjoy caring for the planet in as many ways as possible. We even try to encourage others to join us. For example, we also ask our electronic ordering ECPs to forgo sending copies of the RX with their frames and enable them to use our much smaller frame tags instead to reduce the amount of paper used. At COL, we do our best to improve our practices to better our future.

"The earth is what we all have in common." - Wendell Berry

#everydayisearthday #reducereusereycle #gogreen #makeanimpact #col