It is estimated that if the 42.1 million pairs of 3D glasses used at theaters to watch Avatar were laid end-to-end, they would stretch more than 3,987 miles. Avatar and Alice in Wonderland each required more than 10 million pairs of 3D glasses to be shipped around the globe, resulting in emissions comparable to burning 50,000 gallons of gasoline or 917 barrels of oil. These aren’t the old flimsy cardboard variety with red-and-blue cellophane lenses. They’re plastic frames that look like cheap sunglasses. So what happens to those millions of pairs of plastic glasses after each screening of a 3-D movie? Are they tossed, recycled, or do you keep them?
In 2010, the five 3D movies screened already have met record success, and now more than one 3D movie per month will follow. Any damaged and unreturned pairs of the plastic glasses will end up in landfill.
RealD, the company that developed the technology for the current trend in 3D movies, started a recycling program for the glasses last fall to address this problem with cardboard containers at theater exits to deposit glasses. Most filmgoers do so. But some keep them, perhaps to reuse for the next 3D movie. Will they bring them back to a theater?
Both Dolby and RealD’s recycling system collects the 3D glasses, puts them through industrial dishwashers, and sterilizes them to be reused by another customer. Is recycling the glasses better than reusing them yourself? But some IMAX theaters have anti-theft devices and the technology might improve. IMAX claims its glasses can be washed 500 times. That’s about three to four months. Then what?
– from treehugger.com
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