Years ago, a hairdresser noticed that spilled oil stuck to bird feathers and marine mammal fur, so he started playing around with making oil booms from nylons and hair from his salon. It worked well and is in small-scale use already.
One natural way to help contain oil spills is through the use of hair booms and hair mats. Hair is a naturally hydrophobic and biosorbent, which means, it repels water and can collect heavy metals and other contaminants, like oil. The more popular methods to contain oil spills use synthetic materials and chemicals, which can be costly and just as dangerous to environment. So, it's worth exploring eco-friendly ways to clean up the ocean and other waterways.
Check out Matter of Trust for how to donate hair waste and fleece.
• How your split ends can help clean oil spills (Vox)
