04.02.2022

Waste Human Hair Could Help Clean Up Oil Spills In Oceans

An organization in France gathers hair trimmings from more than 3,000 salons. The hair is then used to clean up oil from polluted water. Human hair can absorb up to eight times its weight in oil. It is also biodegradable and can be reused many times. The hair is  stuffed into nylon stockings, creating floating sausages that can absorb up to eight times their weight in oil. More recently hair was used to mop up oil from the MV Wakashio, a bulk carrier that ran aground on a reef on the island of Mauritius. Locals donated their hair, and packed it in bags with straw and fabric in a desperate attempt to stop oil damaging the fragile ecology of the region. Hair is superior in many ways to manufactured materials often used to soak up spills. It costs nothing to produce, is biodegradable and there is an inexhaustible supply (hair grows on us at a rate of roughly 1cm a month). It can be washed so that hair sponges can be used again and again. Using hair in this way also stops it from ending up in the trash, where it can cause damage to wildlife. In fact, cleaning up oil spills is just one of many potential uses for hair – from making wigs, weaves, mats and rope, to deterring pests like deer from gardens, and even as a source of amino acids to make cosmetics and pet food.
​Credit: BRIGHTVIBES