THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It’s all about going from root to root! In a significant step to address the messy issue of hair waste, the local self-government department (LSGD) has come up with a first-of-its-kind initiative to convert the refuse generated into organic fertiliser. Approximately 125 to 130 tonnes of hair waste is generated monthly in the state by around 40,000 establishments, including salons, beauty clinics, and barber shops.
Ever since the deployment of Haritha Karma Sena (HKS) members for door-to-door collection of non-biodegradable waste, grooming industry businesses have been on the warpath. Official sources said the collection of hair waste will begin on January 1, 2025.
The Kerala State Barber & Beautician Association, with over 28,000 members, has staged protests demanding a solution to hair waste. “This has been a long-pending demand. We were in a fix following the deployment of HKS. They collect only non-biodegradable waste and not hair waste. A few months ago we staged a 36-hour-long protest demanding a scientific solution to hair waste,” said Ummer Alathiyur, general secretary of the association.
“We have been struggling without an answer. We have around 25,000 registered barber shops and salons. It’s a booming sector,” he pointed out. The association even approached the Kerala Agricultural University in Mannuthy for solutions. And, in an answer to their prayers, LSGD seems to have come up with an answer. The department recently roped in a Palakkad-based cosmetic waste management company – Ashlogix – that turns hair waste into organic fertiliser. An LSGD official said that there are not many agencies dealing with hair waste in the state.
“A meeting with stakeholders in the cosmetic sector will happen very soon to plan the launch of the unique initiative,” the official said.
Yousuf K K, founder of Ashlogix, who developed the technology, said that they are gearing up to upgrade machinery. “We want to process around 150 tonnes of waste every month. For the past five years we have been working with around 11,000 businesses,” Yousuf added.