Barbers across Belgium are sweeping up and bagging the hair they receive from their customers and handing it over to Dung Dung, an NGO that recycles the hair to protect the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The hair recycling project feeds strands of hair into a machine that compresses them into square mats that can be used to absorb oil and other hydrocarbons that pollute the environment, or made into biocomposite bags.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Project co-founder Patrick Janssen explained that 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of hair can absorb 7-8 liters (1.8-2.1 US gallons) of oil and hydrocarbons, and said the mats could be placed in sewers to absorb pollution in the water before it reaches the river.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\"Our products are more ethical because they are made locally... they are not imported from other parts of the world,\" he told Reuters. \"They are here to solve local problems.\"<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project states on its website that hair has strong properties: a single hair can support 10 million times its own weight and can absorb fats and hydrocarbons. Due to its keratin fibers, hair is water-soluble and highly elastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isabelle Voulkidis, manager of the Helyode salon in Brussels, is one of dozens of hairdressers across the country who pay a small fee to the project to collect their haircuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cPersonally, what motivates me is that I feel like it\u2019s a shame to throw my hair in the trash now when I know there are so many things you can do with it,\u201d she said as she combed and cut a customer\u2019s hair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n