Maine: Here’s What to Do With Your Leftover Eclipse Glasses

Hold on. Stop what you're doing immediately and retrieve those eclipse glasses back from the trash right now! Well, not if they are damaged and covered in soup.

But I don't want you to throw them away, because they could be recycled for kiddos to use in another country!

Here's the deal. Many of us Mainers bought protective glasses for yesterday's solar eclipse. Now what do we do with them?

Naturally, you think that we aren't going to have another eclipse for 20 years, so you either save them or throw them away.

However, National Miss Military Star Katie Cunningham reached out to let me know that we can recycle them to kiddos in Latin America for their celestial eclipse event later this year.

According to Space,

Oct. 2, 2024, a "ring of fire" annular solar eclipse will pass over parts of the Pacific Ocean, southern Chile and southern Argentina.

I did some research and found that Latin America will witness the astronomical beauty of an annular eclipse, according to 9 News. 

Eclipse Glasses USA has a program called "Eclipse Give Back", and they gather used eclipse glasses and send them to schools in Latin America for the upcoming eclipse in October.

The glasses should be in good condition. That means no scratches, holes, tears, or any damage that could make them less safe to use.

Katie is also putting together a package to send to Latin American schools for their eclipse.

This act of kindness will foster a sense of global connection. So by sharing our glasses with those less fortunate, we demonstrate solidarity across borders. This is something the entire world witnesses, and it's a stunning example of how small actions can make a huge difference. So what are you waiting for?

So you have two easy options. You can either send your glasses to Eclipse Glasses USA or visit Katie Cunningham on Facebook to send your glasses her way!