Even though we call them “beauty” treatments, they sure do have a pretty serious ugly side.
All the hair dyes and chemicals that get used to pretty-up clients all day at hair salons end up mostly getting dumped down the drain, where they wreak havoc on the environment. In fact, salons are collectively responsible for producing 42,000 lbs of chemical waste every day, according to Scott Moon, a regional educator with Green Circle.
Created in Canada, Green Circle is a company that teams up with salons and finds ways to recycle products that would otherwise get rinsed into our lakes and rivers. Hair dyes, for example, are converted into clean energy, while leftover hair is stuffed into nylon booms that are used to help clean oil spills. In Quebec alone, 100 salons have teamed up with Green Circle, but the company operates in every province and even south of the border.
Revolution Hair Studio in Montreal, Que., is among the businesses trying to go green. And so far, they say Green Circle has been a huge help.
“It’s really seamless and easy. I can’t believe we weren’t doing this before,” Owner Tamara Rifai said.
The only catch is that customers see a $1 to $2 charge added to their bill in the form of an “eco fee”, but that’s pretty cheap when you compare that to the cost on the environment.