Circular hair – Hairdressers are the perfect partner

As a partner in the Upcycle Your Waste project, the Economisch Huis Oostende is looking for circular initiatives to roll out at companies in Ostend (BE) in order to reduce their waste costs.

The Hair Recycle project collects hair from Belgian hairdressing salons and reuses it in the circular economy. Anje Vanhoutte of Kapsalon Immagini also collects hair for the project.

Anje: “During the lockdown, I saw a call on Febelhair (Federation of Belgian hairdressers) to participate in the collection of hair for a circular project. I wanted to contribute to the circular economy and that’s why I got involved immediately. The hair is not only reused, but it also provides a cleaner environment by purifying waterways.”

Anje received a package of ten bags to fill. When they are full, she indicates on the site that Hair Recycle can pick them up. As a hairdresser you are completely unburdened. The bag doesn’t seem very big, but you really have to do your best to get it full.

“By the way, last year I had three new customers, because they saw my hair salon on the Hair Recycle website and for those clients sustainability is an important subject. That’s a nice bonus. So it certainly didn’t do me any harm.”

And what is the hair actually used for? Hair has the property that it can absorb oil very well. It is therefore extremely suitable for purifying waterways and harbor areas and it is also used for the treatment of burns. After collection, the hairs are sewn into large textile cloths that trap oil and other impurities in water.

Are you a company in Belgium, The Netherlands or the North of France and do you also want to participate in Hair Recycle or would you like more information? Send an email to arne.rossel@economischhuis.be.