TerraCycle has launched a new solution to help UK hairdressers and beauty salons reduce their waste.

Following its launch in the US, SalonCycle allows salons to recycle hard-to-recycle waste, diverting it from landfill or incineration.

According to the British Beauty Council, about 95 percent of cosmetic packaging is thrown away, with just 14 percent of hair and beauty industry packaging making it to recycling plants, and just 9 percent actually recycled. SalonCycle makes it easy for salon professionals with one box for mixed waste and one for human hair.

Julien Tremblin, General Manager, TerraCycle Europe, comments: “We are delighted to be launching SalonCycle here in the UK as the amount of waste produced by the hair care and beauty industries is substantial. When developing SalonCycle we listened to salons and their biggest request was for a simple and easy to use solution that isn’t confusing for staff. Having to separate waste into lots of different sub categories can be confusing and ultimately can act as a barrier to adoption in the salon.”

“As a result, SalonCycle only offers two boxes, one for human hair and the other for everything else that is either plastic or metal. The solution couldn’t be easier to implement in a salon or for staff to effectively recycle all the hard-to-recycle waste they are generating as part of their day-to-day work.”

Ecovia Intelligence Comment: This initiative by TerraCycle is a positive one. SalonCycle is one of the rare sustainability initiatives in the beauty industry that is targeted at the professional sector. Managing waste is a major sustainability issues for hair salons and beauty salons, yet there is little or no infrastructure for recycling.