by Rhonda Massad
Owner of Revolution Beauty Salon in Beaconsfield, Tamara Rifai, wanted to find a way to do better for her community and her planet. She managed just that by being one of a few beauty salons on the West Island to adopt Green Circle methods of waste management.
“I became aware of Green Circle when I became an educator for Kevin Murphy hair products,” Rifai explained. “Green Circle gives salons choices when disposing of their waste to protect the environment as well as a platform to spread the word to other salons. As an educator I not only teach salons how to do hair but also how to be more sustainable.”
According to Rifai when she is working with hair dye, that she once washed down remainders into the water system, today she retains the waste in a green waste receptacle and recycles it. All hair clippings are now collected in a cardboard container then repurposed into oil booms (nylon tubes packed with hair) and used to mop up oil spills. All foil used for streaking hair is now collected and recycled several times over.
“A neutralizer is mixed with the left over hair dye to mix cement,” Rifai explained.
“One salon alone does not produce enough waste to merit a recycling service but when all members of Green Circle join together, they produce a movement towards a large green impact,” Rifai said.
Clients are charged a green fee of about a dollar if they use a service that requires waste management.
“My clients have not had any complaints in the four months we have been doing this, in fact they are happy to be doing something to help out,” Rifai stated.