NORTHAMPTON — Those eclipse glasses came in handy on Monday, but now what to do with them? The city of Northampton has the answer.
City officials would like to collect them and give them to Astronomers Without Borders, who will give them to schoolchildren in South America and Asia. Those continents are in store for an eclipse in 2019.
Mayor David Narkewicz said the idea came from Reuse Coordinator Susan Waite, whose husband is involved with Astronomers Without Borders. Once the effort popped up on the city’s radar, Narkewicz said, everyone agreed “it fits in with Northampton’s commitment to reuse.”
“We’ll be boxing up what we collect and shipping them off,” he said Wednesday. “I think it’s a great thing.”
Residents seeking to donate their glasses can bring them to City Hall or the DPW headquarters on Locust Street. Transfer station permit holders can also bring them to the transfer station at Glendale Road between 8 a.m. and noon on Wednesdays or Saturdays from 7 a.m. to noon.
Alternatively, the city said in a press release, lenses from broken glasses should be dismantled and tossed in the garbage. Officials suggest recycling the cardboard portion.
Amanda Drane can be contacted at adrane@gazettenet.com.