Human hair recycled in Belgium to protect the environment

By
Reuters
Patrick Janssen, the co-founder of the organisation Dung Dung, shows a tile made from recycled human hair that is used to absorb polluting chemical substances in water — REUTERS
Patrick Janssen, the co-founder of the organisation Dung Dung, shows a tile made from recycled human hair that is used to absorb polluting chemical substances in water — REUTERS

BRUSSELS: Coiffeurs across Belgium are sweeping up and bagging hair clipped from their customers and then handing it over to an NGO that recycles it to protect the environment.

The Hair Recycle project feeds locks and braids into a machine that turns them into matted squares that can absorb oil and other hydrocarbons polluting the environment or be made into bio-composite bags.

Project Co-founder Patrick Janssen, explaining that 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs) of hair can absorb 7-8 liters (1.8-2.1 U.S. gallons) of oil and hydrocarbons, said the mats could be placed in drains to soak up pollution in water before it reaches a river.

Patrick Janssen, co-founder of the organisation Dung Dung — REUTERS
Patrick Janssen, co-founder of the organisation Dung Dung — REUTERS

"Our products are all the more ethical as they are manufactured locally ... they are not imported from the other side of the planet," he told Reuters. "They are made here to deal with local problems."

The project said on its website that hair has powerful properties: one strand can support up to 10 million times its weight, and as well as absorbing fat and hydrocarbons, it is water-soluble and highly elastic due to its keratin fibers.

Belgian hairdresser cuts a customers hair, which will be collected by Dung Dung —REUTERS
Belgian hairdresser cuts a customer's hair, which will be collected by Dung Dung —REUTERS

Isabelle Voulkidis, manager of the Helyode salon in Brussels, is one of dozens of hairdressers across the country that pay a small fee to the project to collect their hair cuttings.

"What motivates me, personally, is that I find it a shame hair is nowadays just thrown in the bin when I know that so much could be done with it," she said, as she combed and clipped one of her customer's hair.