Instead of using regular commercial waste collection services, salons who are part of the Sustainable Salons network set themselves apart by choosing to use the more tailored collection system offered by Sustainable Salons, meaning resources are separated at the source: the salon. This means it is easier to create value from these resources. 

Aluminium is infinitely recyclable but one million kilograms of aluminium foil from salons is being sent to landfill each year. Other salon products like hair and plastic shampoo bottles also end up in landfill.

Sustainable Salons has developed a system to help salons seperate waste at the source so that materials like foil, hair and plastic bottles can be recovered for reuse. Foil collected through the Sustainable Salons program is turned into a 100 per cent recycled aluminium product called Refoil and ponytails are used to make wigs for cancer and alopecia sufferers. The company also collaborates with Dresden Vision to create high-quality glasses from recycled shampoo bottles. 

Today, Sustainable Salons service over 1,000 locations in Australia and New Zealand, impact nearly 5,000 hairdressers and speak to three million customers through their network. They employ 61 staff, 35 per cent of which are people with a disability, and their goal is to hit 50 per cent within the next year.

Across the organisation, over 20,000 wheelie bins of materials have been saved and repurposed including:

Over 90,000 ponytails collected, to be used to make wigs for cancer and alopecia sufferers

Over 140,000kg of plastic kept in circulation and value-raised by being made into items like Dresden Glasses

Over 188,000kg of metals diverted from landfill

Over 28,000kg of hair collected from salon floors, to be used to create 'bollards' to soak up oil in coastline spills

Almost 120,000 meals provided for those in need, thanks to proceeds from recycling