Are you getting rid of your contact lenses the right way?

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- If you wear contact lenses, many environmental experts are asking - are you getting rid of them the right way?

More than 45-million Americans wear contacts. A new study from Arizona State University shows about 19 percent flush their contacts down the sink or toilet.

That leads to about 8 tons of plastic lenses ending up in wastewater.

The plastic doesn't fully disintegrate, so is adds to debris in lakes, rivers and oceans and back into the food chain.

The researchers are trying to get manufacturers to put a label on the box. In the meantime, they're reminding people to throw your old contacts in the trash, not down the sink.

Bausch & Lomb also has a recycling program. You can get a free shipping label to safely send them back for proper disposal.

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