Kermit thinks it’s not that easy being green, but we know better at BIBA Academy!
We’ve joined the Sustainable Salons program and we invite you to come on board. It’s awesome to think that 95% of the things we use in Australian hairdressing and barber salons are recyclable. And we’re doing our best to make it happen!
Over 37 430kg of cut off hair, 251 957kg of metals, 275 991kg of paper and 34 444litre of chemicals would have ended up in landfill over the past year, had it not been for this fairly new initiative being introduced to the hairdressing and barbering industry. That’s a lot of stuff going down the gurgler, but now it has a purpose – and our BIBA Hairdressing Schools and BIBA Salons are right behind it.
There are several elements to the Sustainable Salons ethos, including the following:
- Recycling Product Packaging and Salon Disposables
Each fortnight, we have a purple bin pick-up that is chockas full of used foils, cut hair, plastic and metal canisters, paper, ink cartridges, glass jars, shampoo and chemical leftovers, razors, and even e-waste (such as dead blow dryers, straighteners, irons and other similar tools). This goes to a designated warehouse where it is sorted by category and sent off for recycling purposes. - Sorting Jobs are created for disadvantaged workers who find it difficult to obtain other types of employment
- Some of the money raised from selling off the recyclables goes towards food supplies to feed members of the community who might otherwise struggle to afford food
- Funds are also directed towards researching better recycling solutions, and towards public education and awareness programs
- Volunteers are encouraged to help where they can and get involved and do something good
- Hairdressing Salons and Barbershops can earn valuable Rewards Points to invest in recycled products for use in their businesses, and
- Hair and Barber Clients can donate towards the program to help our planet to become more eco-friendly, with reduced landfill, better waste solutions, and a heightened sense of responsibility all around.
Our BIBA staff are trained to properly sort our recyclable waste into specific categories. It’s all either flattened, or bagged, or poured into colour-coded buckets, and then stacked and packed ready for collection by the Sustainable Salons truck drivers.
Want to know more? Just ask!
We’re excited to promote change amongst our students and our crew, and we’re even more keen to share how the program works with our clients. So don’t forget to ask for more information when you talk to our awesome staff team members. There are newsletters with info about how the recyclables are re-used, such as in building roads, outdoor furniture, pulping and composting. And the cut hair we donate can be used to make wigs for those suffering from medical treatment hair loss or Alopecia Areata, or it can be used to make hair looms (to suck up emergency oil spills in our oceans, water ways, and even on land).
It takes 20 cut-off, real hair ponytails to make one wig! So the next time you want to chop off your long locks, ask about filling in a Ponytail Donation Form.
Another big thing about supporting the Sustainable Salons program is that 100% of the profits from the sale of the recyclable materials goes directly to OzHarvest and Kiwi Harvest – for every dollar raised, two meals can be provided to feed someone who would otherwise go without.
So, maybe it’s time someone told Kermit to get with the program and celebrate being green, rather than having a winge about it. At BIBA, we love being seen to be green, and we’re doing our best to make sure that every little thing we do is making a difference.
TALK TO US ABOUT THE SUSTAINABLE SALONS PROGRAM TODAY 😊
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT A BIBA HAIR ACADEMY CERTIFICATE III IN HAIRDRESSING
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