Using Human Hair (and animal fur) to Clean Oil Spills
Hair/Fur As Cheap and Effective Oil Slick Cleanup
With the oil spill Gulf of Mexico threatening the ecology, people worldwide are watching wishing they could help. Perhaps they don't realize just how much they can. Human hair and animal fur can be used to help clean up the oil and stop its spread. That's right - human hair. Hair collects oil. That's why you have to wash it. Just as it collects oil from your skin, it also collects oil from an environmentally threatening oil slick.
After the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, a hairdresser in Alabama named Phil McCrory noticed how the photos of the otters showed the water right around them to be cleaner that the surrounding areas. He recognized that their fur had collected the oil out of the water. Hair, after all, has a natural tendency to collect oil. He went to work inventing the hair mat, using human hair clippings and a kiddie pool in his yard. He soon realized that one pound of hair can soak up about one quart of oil, and when formed into a sturdy mat, it can be rung out and reused over a hundred times!
Hair Soaks Up Oil Spills
Since the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska, improvements to how we go about cleaning up oil spills have improved dramatically. Now, with the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico we must act on what we have learned from that tragedy and other oil spills that have occurred since.
Matter of Trust - Official Website
- Official Website of Matter Of Trust
Our ecological public charity concentrates on Manmade Surplus, Natural Surplus & Eco-Education
Hair Booms and Hair Mats - A Hairy Photo Gallery
Click thumbnail to view full-size
Alas, BP Will Not Use the Hair - ...But Others WILL !
So as the story goes, BP (BPs Critical Resources Material Management) contacted Matter of Trust on May 19, 2010, about using the mats and seemed very excited at doing so. With this news Matter of Trust lifted their halt on donations and opened the flood gates for as much hair as possible to be donated.
Then, on May 21, 2010, , another department (Ronald D. Rybarczyk BP Government & Public Affairs) called back with the message (paraphrased), "sorry, they was a misunderstanding in their first call - the hair booms are not needed and won't be used."
BP has made their choice, but the people of the Gulf will not let this resource go unused. Hair booms and mats are in the water now.
- According to BP, the hair booms are not useful since they sink. Also, they say they have enough petroleum based boom already. As Matter of Trust has shown, hair booms can be made to float with the simple addition of a piece of a foam pool noodle. Also, they sit a little lower in the water than the boom does. Since all that dispersant was added to the oil, a great deal of the oil is suspended just below the surface. The hair booms catch this, while the standard booms allow it to flow underneath. Floating the hair booms, with a noodle, in shrimp bags tied in grid formation has been HIGHLY successful.
Watch this comparison video of Hair Boom vs. Conventional Boom
- But wait....the hair will NOT go to waste. Hair booms are being used. Individuals, towns, and other organizations are putting the donated hair to use. They have been approved for use by the Coast Guard.
Here you can see them in use between piers in Alabama, at a harbor in Fort Meyers FL, Weeks Bay AL.
I'm not a Hair Stylist or an Animal Groomer - What can I do? - What can one average person do to help?
In the US alone, 60 million pounds of human hair are disposed of in landfills each year.
There is a lot of oil that needs to be cleaned, and everyone can pitch in to help this project be successful. Here are a few ideas of how you can use the skills and resources available to you to assist in this great project of cleaning oil spills with hair:- Ask your hair stylist what they do with the hair clippings they produce. If they just throw them out, recommend Matter of Trust.
- Follow Matter of Trust on twitter: @MatterOfTrust
From time to time retweet something of theirs to spread the word to your followers.
- Become a fan of Matter of trust on Facebook. Stay up to date on what's happening, and pass it along to your fans.
- Become a local drop off site. Many people have small amounts to give. Organize a day and time when they can drop it off to be sent in one larger shipment. Perhaps you could get a local group to help you - girl scouts, boy scouts.
- Contact your local shelter and ask if they recycle the clippings they have.
- Teachers can encourage kids to brush their pets and bring in the hairs collected. This is also a good opportunity to teach science, global awareness, environmental studies, geography, and empathy. Teachers should check out this resource page
- Ask your church members to bring in pet hair and old nylons to be recycled for the cause.
Where Do I Send the Hair?
How to get your hair, fur, and nylons to Matter of Trust
The receiving sites are ever changing, because the oil is ever moving. Therefore you must register (for free) to be added to the database for the latest receiving sites. Click here to be added to Excess Access, a company who connects surpluses with needs for the greater good, for a list of current receiving sites for hair, fur, and nylons.
(photo by Shmooth)
Hair Mat Demonstrations
Learn More about the Programs of Matter of Trust
Matter of Trust does more than just hair booms. Learn more here:
Booms Made From Hair
and recycled nylon stockings!
Human hair and animal fur can be used to make booms. A boom is a barrier that contains an oil slick and stops the spread to the rocky or sandy shore. By simply filling a pair of nylons with hair, a cheap and effective boom can be created. Lining these booms up end to end can make a floating fence that keeps the oil away from the shore, which makes it even more difficult to clean up, and exposes the oil to more species of animals.
It is simple cost effective ideas like this one that make you remember how important grassroots projects are.
(Photo by Mila Zinkova from Wikipedia)
Children's Books on Oil Spills - Fiction and Non-Fiction Books For Kids about Oil Spills and the Lasting Results
Educating the next generation about oil spills is important. Parents and teachers should discuss the current oil spill, and use it as an opportunity to teach about science, the environment, animals, and the importance of caring.
How Can I Financially Contribute to Matter of Trust?
You can contribute financial donations by mail by sending a check or money order made out to Matter of Trust to:
Matter of Trust, Inc.
99 St. Germain Avenue
San Francisco CA 94114
You can contribute using paypal.
You can make a credit card donation by phone to (415) 235-2403.
Be sure to specify exactly where you want the money to go, i.e. Gulf Coast Oil Spill, Earth From Above, the General Fund, or another specific program. If you do not specify, the donation will be put into the General Fund to help all projects.
Earth From Above
Arial Photography of Our Beautiful Planet
Matter of Trust is a sponsor of the Earth From Above project:
Hair boom made from donated hair and fur stuffed into donated nylons
How to Make a Hair Boom
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Guestbook
You really do have interesting post here.. :D It is a wonderful information. I really never thought that i can use hair for getting rid of oil spill.. have you read the articles at http://oilspills.com.au? It also gives out good infos.. :D
thanx for the video to demonstrate the whole procedure but please tell the use of nylon
I heard about this being the best way to help clean up with chemicals
Good lens! It reminds of the oil spills in some parts of the oceans and this is a helpful tips.
Can i know how to make hair mats?
A simple one will do,
i want to help to spread the news around to all my friends
so that they can play a part in saving the environment. :)
Definitely worth of a purple star!
With Love and Gratitude,
Jeremiah
Congratulations on being listed on the 2010 Giant Squid Showcase! I think this is a fabulous idea!
Great choice for the 2010 Giant Squid Showcase. Happy new year!
Great reuse of a natural item! Congrats on making it on the Giant Squid Showcase! Happy New Year!
So delighted to see this fantastic lens was placed on the 2010 Giant Squid Showcase List! Excellent information and well deserved recognition!
Absolutely amazing, I never had the remotest idea about this, but it's logical and makes sense. Congratulations and all the best for 2011.
Congrats for having this lens selected as one of the best of 2010! I hope you have a happy new year.
I enjoyed this topical lens with its clever practical suggestion for helping mop up the oil spill on my earlier visit. Delighted to see it made it into the 2010 Giant Squid Showcase!
I was impressed with this before and now I can say.....Congratulations on being on the 2010 Giant Squid Showcase Best of List!
Congratulations on being one of the 45 on the Giant Squid 2010 Showcase. Very cool. :)
Congratulations for being included in The 2010 Giant Squid Showcase by the SquidTeam! How cool is that! Happy New Year, Squidhugs from Kathy
Kab, I really enjoyed your lens. I am trying to raise awareness of just how bad things are with Shell and the Nigerian Crude Oil drilling and export. Much worse then the highly publicized BP accident. This is an everyday thing. Maybe you could visit my lens and share it with others? CLICK HERE
Wow! this is interesting. They could use the booms on the beaches that get affected, I would think. I am glad to read this, Thank you.
I did it! shaved my long hair. Go visit my facebook group http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=140702869292... and watch the video, everyone can join and post their video and pics!
@anonymous: I have heard on our local new here in Fargo the shops are collecting hair for this purpose and sending it out. Peoples' responses to such a disaster is remarkable. I have my hair cut, and am enjoying the new look.
I had never heard of this before...What a terrific way to use hair! Great job.
Why don't we organise a "global shave" action where all people that want can let their hair be shaven off.
I was wondering if someone had made a lens on this topic. Very well done Kab.
It certainly is a massive effort with the oil spill. Hope for the best and keep the faith.
Good for Matter of Trust! It seems like it's going to be individuals with great ideas - not BP itself - who are going to be the ones who do the most to clean up this mess.
I sure hope this works and have lensrolled to my Shrimp Boats
Very interesting....I had never heard of this ! My dog certainly sheds a lot....
This is awesome. I'm going to tell my hairstylist about this, because she's the owner of a nice salon, and ask her to donate our hair. That would be perfect. We should all tell all our hairstylists to do this
Great solution for this horrible problem. *-*Blessed*-* and featured on Sprinkled with Stardust and also on charity-lenses-for-summer-sunshine-giveaway
I never knew that about hair! Good article.
Oh, and thumbs up and favorited.
Wow! How relevant is this, at the time of the Gulf Oil Crisis. At the time I am bald because I am going through chemotherapy, but Buckwheat sheds constantly. I am onto this. I wonder if I could get them to collect it at Point Isabel, there is a dog grooming center there.
It is so sad, This whole mess. It is so great if everyone can just help a little bit. Great lens
Nice post.
so great! Good on you pointing the spotlight on this awesome cause!!!
Positively stunning! Well done; favorited & promoted; sending nomination
Very important cause and nicely done. Yes, that's something a lot of people wouldn't think of.
My word. That is amazing! I actually just add our family's hair clippings to my compost heap, but this is a great idea on a large scale.
Congratulations on your purple star. It's been featured at https://hubpages.com/community/purple-star-awards-
This is brilliant! and it makes perfect sense!
timely info - congrats on your purple star :)
This is fascinating!
Send your tights, hair and pet combings to President Obama!
Kab - I've retweated this lens! Great info for a good cause. Best of luck in the Summer Sunshine Award contest.
I saw a story about this on CNN a few days ago and thought it was a brilliant idea to help clean up the mess we are currently facing. You've done a wonderful job here and I hope this lens helps to get the message out. Good luck in the Sunshine Award contest! :)
What a great topic. I know there are a few horse farms donating hair. I am going to take a look at the donation site. Blessed! http://www.squidoo.com/horseandpony-squidangel
Wow, this was such an interesting read. Thank you for this great info. Good Luck on the Summer Sunshine Award Contest for Charity. I have featured this lens on my lens about the contest nominees.
Came back to leave an *~*~ Angel Blessing ~*~* for this clever idea. Very well put-together and an easy way to do some good.
Incredible! Yesterday evening, I watched the news and there was a document about this and now I read your page about the same subject! Since it's reading and I can spend some time on the page instead of the 5 min document, I'll surely learn many more things than yesterday!
Dom.
What a unique topic, very interesting. It's good to know such a common product can be used to help in the wake of such disasters.
My dog is going in for grooming today....and what a perfect idea on a way to have his mat of hair become useful. I never would have thought hair could be so valuable after being swept off the floor of the groomers.
Hair is something I never thought could be recycled. This is genius!
This is a really great discovery, kab. I'm passing it around, and I'll definitely check with Super Cuts where I get my hair snipped!
This is amazing - I have many contacts, organizations and friends who are interested in environmental issues and I will circulate this to them. I always thought something useful could be done with hair, other than wig-making, and I am most impressed with this lateral thinking.Lensrolling and 5**
This is new to me. Great idea. That's a lot of hair (60 million lbs./yr.)
This is so interesting, I had no idea that this method was being used. What creativity! Blessed by a squidangel
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