With the wig and hair extension industry estimated to reach revenues of more than $10 billion by 2023, wig and hair extension waste has never been more important.

 

Some human hair extensions can take up to 7 years to decompose (this doesn't include other materials that come with the wig, such as adjustable straps/hooks/wig combs etc) whilst synthetic hair never decomposes. This poses the same issues to the environment that plastic waste does. 

 

To put this into context, the average everyday wig wearer goes through 2 wigs a year, if they wear wigs for 40 years, they will go through 80 wigs in their lifetime. If each wig weighs between 700g-1kg, each wig wearer would contribute to between 56 - 80kg of hair extension waste in their lifetime. This is the equivalent of 8,080 non-biodegradable plastic bottles entering the ecosystem (based on a single-serve 0.5 litre PET water bottle which is 9.9 grams).

 

As hair recycling is at the core of what we do, we not only want to extend the life cycle of wigs by repurposing them but we want help to ensure that they are disposed of responsibly too.

 

If you feel your wig is beyond repair and you would like to dispose of it responsibly, please post your wig to us at the following address:

Hair Recycle 

The Wig Bar London

41 Artillery Lane
London
E1 7LP

All hair waste goes into a wig and hair extension recycling bin which is collected by our hair waste partners who use the hair to make hair booms which act as an effective tool to clean up chemical and oil spills.