Belgian Project Uses Human Hair to Help the Environment

Belgian Project Uses Human Hair to Help the Environment

In Belgium, a non-governmental organization called Dung Dung is recycling human hair to protect the environment.

The organization gets the hair from coiffeurs who sweep up and collect the hair from their customers.

The Hair Recycle project puts the hair into a machine that turns it into square mats. The mats can be used to absorb oil or other kinds of pollution found in water. The hair can also be used as part of the material for special containers.

Patrick Janssen is the co-founder of Dung Dung. He said that one kilogram of hair can absorb seven to eight liters¹ of oil or similar chemicals called hydrocarbons². He said the mats can help absorb pollution in water before it reaches a river.

"Our products are all the more ethical³ as they are manufactured⁴ locally...they are not imported from the other side of the planet," he told the Reuters news agency⁵. "They are made here to deal with local problems."

The project said on its website that hair has powerful qualities. One piece of hair can support up to 10 million times its own weight. In addition to absorbing fat and hydrocarbons, it does not break down in water and is able to stretch a lot.

Isabelle Voulkidis is the supervisor⁶ of a hair care business in Brussels. She is one of the hair dressers across the country who pays a small fee to the project to collect their hair cuttings.

She said she wants to help the project because she knows how much can be done with the hair.

Words in This Story

recycle –v. to reuse something, or the material in it, to reduce waste

coiffeur –n. (foreign word, not usually used by Americans) a person who cuts other peoples' hair and makes it look nice

sweep up –v. (phrasal) to remove dust or dirt by using a tool such as a brush or broom

customer –n. a person or group that pays for goods or services from a business

mat –n. a flat piece of material, usually square, that is often placed on the ground as a floor covering

absorb –v. to take in liquid slowly and hold it

 

ethical –adj. involving questions of right or wrong behavior

1 liters   

n.升( liter的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In the metric system, measurements are made in metres and liters. 在公制中，用米和升作计量单位。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This can holds five liters of water. 这个容器可装五升水。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 hydrocarbons   

n.碳氢化合物，烃( hydrocarbon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hydrocarbons (HC), like carbon monoxide, represent unburned and wasted fuel. 碳氢化合物(HC)像一氧化碳一样，为未燃尽的和被浪费掉的燃料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• With this restricted frequency range it is not applicable to hydrocarbons. 这个较紧缩的频率范围不适用于烃类。 来自辞典例句

3 ethical   

adj.伦理的，道德的，合乎道德的

参考例句：

• It is necessary to get the youth to have a high ethical concept.必须使青年具有高度的道德观念。
• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。

4 manufactured   

adj.人造的v.（大规模）制造( manufacture的过去式和过去分词 )；捏造；加工；粗制滥造（文学作品）

参考例句：

• a news story manufactured by an unscrupulous journalist 一位不道德的记者编造的一篇报道
• We want the machine manufactured to our own spec. 我们要求这台机器按我们自己的规格来制造。

5 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

6 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。