Let’s get real for a minute — the beauty industry plays a big role in waste production.
According to Green Circle Salons {a sustainability initiative that works with salons nationwide to help them become more environmentally friendly}, the beauty industry creates 877 pounds of waste every minute — now that is heavy {pun intended} portion of waste.
That number is striking and leaves us feeling a bit uneasy after our last balayage. But rest assured, it’s not all bad, as salons today have the ability to reduce their carbon footprint and become part of a larger initiative that recycles and repurposes that waste. Lucky for us in Hoboken, that is exactly what Lorraine Fred, owner of Lorraine’s House of Styles {at 160 1st Street} and her team are doing.
This salon is making waves and standing out as Hudson County’s only sustainable salon {well done, team!}. We had a chance to catch up with Lorraine and her salon employees to get the details on how they are pitching in to do their part to take care of the environment on a larger scale through the Green Circle Salons initiative. Read on to see how this local salon is going green and helping the beauty industry to recycle.
About Lorraine’s House of Styles
One of Hoboken’s’ longest-standing salons, Lorraine’s House of Styles, can be found at 160 1st Street in the Mile Square. This one-stop-shop for everything beauty has become the place to go for colors, cuts, lashes, brows, makeup, and so much more. Now, however, Hoboken native and salon owner, Lorraine Fred and her team of stylists have been working on a new project that will take beauty and sustainability to the next level.
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About the Salon Waste Issue
Shocking but true, the beauty industry is responsible for {literally} tons of waste that are not properly recycled and end up in landfills. Let’s be honest, not many of us are thinking about where our hair clippings, used foils, color tubes, and other products go after we leave the salon. According to Green Circle Salons, 421,206 pounds of hair clippings, color, foil, color tubes, and other salon waste is being thrown away each and every day. Some of us might not have even considered the impact of this waste while others have been searching for a salon who is making moves to recycle. And it’s true. So much of what happens at the salon is done behind the scenes. We forget about the tubes, foils, and color that is being thrown away.
About Green Circle Salons
Enter Green Circle Salons, a sustainability initiative that allows salons nationwide to recycle materials such as unused color, product tubes + containers, foils, and even hair. This Canadian based partnership was started in 2009 and is a movement to help salons across the United States to reduce their beauty footprint.
When Lorraine learned of this initiative, she knew that she had to be part of it. “It is so important for us to take care of our community, environment, and the earth,” Lorraine explained. “We were throwing out so many things that could have been recycled.” Green Circle Salons provides the opportunity for salons to recycle material that would otherwise be dumped into landfills and waterways. According to Green Circle Salons, color tubes and used foils can be repurposed into new metals and unused chemicals can be turned into new sources of energy. They are even able to recycle hair clippings, which can be used to sop up oil spills as well as make pillows. Everything down to the gloves they use can be recycled.
How it Works
Lorraine and her team were provided with resources on how to recycle waste that comes from different treatments. Everything from color, foils, and hair clippings get recycled. Inside the salon are six different bins that allow Lorraine and her stylists to recycle nearly 95% of their waste.
With every cut, color, wax, and style, Lorraine’s is able to divert used products somewhere else besides landfills. The used products are sorted into boxes and sent out for recycling. “All we have to do is organize, box it up, and send it out,” explained Lorraine. “It’s a simple way to take care of the earth.”
Green Circle Salons not only allows them to do their part but gives clients the opportunity to be part of it as well. “There are so many people out there looking for green options and to be part of something like that,” shared Lorraine. For clients, the contribution is small — a $2.50 stewardship fee is built into the cost of each visit. “Think of it as a donation to a sustainable recycling foundation that is helping the Hoboken community to [ultimately] help the environment in a small way,” she said about the nominal fee.
Their environmentally responsible efforts have not gone unnoticed, either. Just this month, NBC caught wind of their initiative and highlighted the work they are doing with Green Circle Salons on their TV segment.
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The Future of Sustainable Salons
The ultimate goal is that one day, many salons right here in the Mile Square + beyond will hop on the sustainability train to help make the environment a better place for everyone to enjoy. After all, we only get one planet.
As for Lorraine’s House of Styles, Lorraine and her crew are so passionate about this cause and hope others will get on board after seeing their success with the program and how it impacts the environment.
“If we can get more salons to get on board with this movement, we can make a really big difference. That is our hope,” she said.
Lorraine’s House of Styles is currently the only spot in Hudson County that offers green, sustainable options for waste removal, but it is their hope that other salons do the same with their discards in the future.
What do you think about Lorraine’s House of Style’s Green Circle Salons’ program? Tell us in the comments below!
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