KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Instead of throwing your eclipse glasses away, why not recycle them?

Downtown Kalamazoo’s Bee Joyful Shop is collecting solar eclipse glasses from the community to send to South American students ahead of their Oct. 2 eclipse, according to owner Jessica Thompson.

So far, over 700 pairs of glasses have been collected, but hundreds of other donations are expected, which will be accepted until the end of June.

“We know how magical it was as adults, watching this [eclipse]. Imagine it’s a little child, being able to see that and watch that really cool experience. I think that’s great, to be able to offer that to anybody,” said Jessica Thompson.

Individuals interested in donating their eclipse glasses can stop by Bee Joyful Shop at 243 S. Kalamazoo Mall.

Glasses can also be dropped off at any of Kent District Library’s locations in Grand Rapids, Albion College’s Physics Department at “<>>611 E. Porter Street, or at Grand Rapids’ Warby Parker Breton Village at 1964 Breton Rd. SE.

If you aren’t able to stop to drop off your glasses, Astronomers without Borders and Eclipse Glasses USA will recycle your lenses for you.

Through Astronomers without Borders, glasses are vetted at a regional hub before being packaged and stored for future use, according to their website.

When mailing your glasses, donors are asked to either use a padded envelope or tissue paper and a cardboard box, officials said.

Eclipse Glasses USA also welcomes donated eclipse glasses, but will only accept US-made frames that have the manufacturer’s address, contact information, and bears the ISO logo, according to their website.

Lenses must be in good condition, without tears or punctures that would allow radiation from the sun to hit users’ eyes, officials said.

Glasses can be shipped via USPS First-Class Mail in an envelope, but those looking to send larger amounts are encouraged to talk with their local post office for the most cost effective way to ship, officials said.

More information about Eclipse Glasses USA, including where to mail them, can be found online.