BRUSSELS – Coiffeurs around Belgium are sweeping and bagging hair snipped from their clients before donating it to an NGO that recycles it to help the environment. The Hair Recycle initiative feeds locks and braids into a machine, which transforms them into matted squares that may absorb oil and other hydrocarbons that pollute the environment or be converted into bio-composite bags. Patrick Janssen, project co-founder, explained that 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs) of hair can absorb 7-8 liters (1.8-2.1 US gallons) of oil and hydrocarbons, and that the mats may be placed in drains to soak up pollutants in water before it reaches a river. "Our items are more ethical since they are created locally… they are not imported from other parts of the world," he told Reuters. "They are produced locally to address local issues." According to the project's website, hair has strong properties: one strand can sustain up to 10 million times its weight, and it is water-soluble and very elastic thanks to its keratin fibres. Isabelle Voulkidis, the manager of the Helyode salon in Brussels, is one of hundreds of hairdressers throughout the nation who pay the organisation a nominal fee to collect their hair cuts. "What inspires me personally is that I feel it a pity that hair is currently just thrown away when I know there is so much that can be done with it," she stated as she combed and snipped one of her clients' hair.
BRUSSELS – Coiffeurs around Belgium are sweeping and bagging hair snipped from their clients before donating it to an NGO that recycles it to help the environment.
The Hair Recycle initiative feeds locks and braids into a machine, which transforms them into matted squares that may absorb oil and other hydrocarbons that pollute the environment or be converted into bio-composite bags.
Patrick Janssen, project co-founder, explained that 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs) of hair can absorb 7-8 liters (1.8-2.1 US gallons) of oil and hydrocarbons, and that the mats may be placed in drains to soak up pollutants in water before it reaches a river.
“Our items are more ethical since they are created locally… they are not imported from other parts of the world,” he told Reuters. “They are produced locally to address local issues.”
According to the project’s website, hair has strong properties: one strand can sustain up to 10 million times its weight, and it is water-soluble and very elastic thanks to its keratin fibres.
Isabelle Voulkidis, the manager of the Helyode salon in Brussels, is one of hundreds of hairdressers throughout the nation who pay the organisation a nominal fee to collect their hair cuts.
“What inspires me personally is that I feel it a pity that hair is currently just thrown away when I know there is so much that can be done with it,” she stated as she combed and snipped one of her clients’ hair.
