Belgian NGO uses human hair to absorb the environment contaminant.
The hair recycling project is led by the Belgian nonprofit Dung Dung. circular economy.
This project collects clippings from hairdressers across the country.of hair It is then fed into a machine that turns it into a frosted square. These can be used to absorb oils and other hydrocarbons that pollute the environment. It can also be a bio-composite bag.
Mats can be placed in drains to absorb pollution water before reaching the river. It can also be used to address flood pollution problems and clean up oil spills.
1kg of hair can absorb 7-8 liters of water. oil and hydrocarbons.
“Our products are more ethical because they are made locally rather than imported from the other side of the world,” says project co-founder Patrick Jansen. “They were created here to address local issues.”
How else can human hair be recycled?
Long, healthy hair can be donated to make wigs, but short hair clippings have a variety of uses.
Hair is rich in nitrogen, so it can be used as a garden fertilizerVarious companies are also experimenting with hair as a building material.
Biome, a London-based bio-manufacturing company, is using waste human hair to produce an alternative to wood-based sheets. material and 3D objects. At this year’s London Design Week, Studio Sanne Visser unveiled a household item incorporating ropes of human hair.
The Hair Recycling Project celebrates the powerful properties of hair on its website. A single strand can support up to 10 million times its own weight. Not only does it absorb fats and hydrocarbons, it is also water soluble and elastic due to its keratin fibers.
Isabelle Voulkidis, manager of the Helyode salon in Brussels, hairdresser All over the country paying a small fee for the project to collect the cut hair.
“What drives me personally is that I know there’s so much you can do with your hair, but I think it’s a shame that it’s been thrown in the trash these days,” she said. increase.
