How You Can Make a Difference One Haircut at a Time

How You Can Make a Difference One Haircut at a Time

As a hairdresser, you likely see piles of hair clippings, empty foil packets, and used colour tubes accumulate every day. What if we told you that these everyday salon waste products could be recycled, reducing your environmental impact and preventing tonnes of waste from ending up in landfill? By taking simple steps to recycle hair and salon materials, you can make a huge difference—one haircut at a time.

At Green Salon Collective, we’re dedicated to helping salons across the UK and Ireland reduce waste and embrace sustainable practices. Here’s how you can join the movement, starting with the hair on the floor and the foils in your bin.


Hair Recycling for the Environment

Hair is a biodegradable resource that is often thrown away, but it has the potential to be a valuable tool for environmental projects. By recycling your hair clippings, you can contribute to hair being recycled in 10+ different ways! One example is that hair can be turned into mats or booms that help clean up oil spills in oceans and rivers, naturally absorbing oils without chemicals.


Foil Recycling to Reduce Carbon Emissions

Aluminium foil is a staple in most salons, but when it ends up in landfill, it takes hundreds of years to decompose and contributes to carbon emissions. However, aluminium is 100% recyclable! By recycling your used foils, you save lots of the energy required to produce new aluminium from raw materials. This means a significant reduction in your salon’s carbon footprint.

To make recycling easy, Green Salon Collective offers salons a comprehensive recycling solution for all of the waste we’ve mentioned—and more! We provide everything you need to recycle hair, foils, plastics, colour tubes, and other salon materials in an eco-friendly way. Our mission is to empower salons to reduce waste, lower emissions, and contribute to a greener future.


Each haircut might seem like a small act, but when multiplied by thousands of salons and millions of clients, it becomes a powerful force for change. By adopting sustainable practices and recycling your salon waste, you can play a vital role in reducing the beauty industry’s environmental impact.

The next time you sweep up hair clippings or toss a foil packet in the bin, remember that there’s a better way—one that benefits the planet, supports sustainability, and helps create a more circular economy in the beauty industry.

So, what are you waiting for? Start recycling today and make a difference, one haircut at a time.


Ready to get started? Learn more about Green Salon Collective's recycling services and join the sustainable salon movement today here.

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