At Green Salon Collective, our goal is to create a truly circular economy when disposing of hairdressing waste streams. We're always looking for innovative ways to ensure that salon waste is handled responsibly, and we are incredibly excited to introduce our latest initiative: a nationwide composting service for compostable salon towels across the UK and Ireland!
But My Towels Are ‘Sustainable’?
Well, sort of.
Many disposable salon towels are labelled as biodegradable or even compostable, but that doesn’t mean they will break down as expected if they end up in landfill. In landfill conditions, where oxygen and microorganisms are limited, these towels can sit buried for years—if not decades—without decomposing properly.
The only way to ensure that compostable towels are actually composted is to send them to a dedicated composting facility. That’s where we come in!
Why Composting Matters
Composting is an incredibly beneficial and easy-to-implement practice. For those with gardens, compost heaps can be a fantastic way to enrich soil and reduce waste. However, for salons using large volumes of disposable towels, a home compost heap simply won’t be enough.
While some local councils provide green waste collections, they unfortunately do not accept towels. The good news? Green Salon Collective does!
How to Get Started
If you are a Green Salon Collective member, you can purchase an additional bin specifically for collecting used compostable towels. Once your bin is full, you can return the towels using our specially designed towel return boxes, which can be purchased here. Each box accommodates over 600 compostable towels, making it a simple and effective way to manage salon waste sustainably.
Important Guidelines:
- Only clean used towels should be placed in the towel return box.
- Towels contaminated with excess hair dye or bleach cannot be composted and should instead be disposed of via your general waste-to-energy service.
- Make sure they are dry and wrung out before disposal.
- Place them in compostable bags, not plastic ones.
- Cut off any contaminated sections before composting.
- Fully contaminated towels should be disposed of via general waste-to-energy.
General Waste Service: HERE
Towel Composting Service: HERE
Replant Towels: The Compostable Hairdressing Towel
Replant’s compostable hairdressing towels are now eligible for nationwide composting through Green Salon Collective! These towels are:
- 100% plant-based
- Plastic-free, with fully recyclable packaging
- Designed for stylists to use one per client, with the option to reuse when possible
- Supporting reforestation—one tree is planted for every order!
- Join the Green Salon Movement
By choosing to compost your salon towels with Green Salon Collective, you’re taking a significant step towards a more sustainable future. Let’s work together to make sure our ‘sustainable’ towels truly fulfil their environmental potential!