(Columbia, SC) -The beauty industry creates over 877 pounds of waste every single minute. A campaign that will coincide with Earth Day and Mother’s Day, brings awareness to this issue. Judy Etheredge, part owner of Celebrities Hair Salon, Renaissance Salon Suites in Columbia, SC and Renaissance Salon Suites in Charleston, SC understands the problem firsthand.
Etheredge is a licensed hair stylist and a 35year veteran of the hair industry. Her campaign, Be Beautiful and Go Green is a call to action for local salon owners and stylists that care about the environment. Etheredge and a group of stylists at the Celebrities and Renaissance Salon Suites are putting their shampoo, conditioner and other #2 and #5 plastic to good use. “We don’t have to send all this plastic, to the landfill,” said Etheridge, “Instead, it can be recycled and transformed, and that’s a beautiful thing!”
Etheredge is collaborating with two minority and women owned businesses, Anchor Shred and Recycle Co. LLC, owed by Gail Wilson from Columbia SC., and Inspired Plastics, owned by Hadia Ghandour of Charlotte NC.
Wilson said, “We are local recycling collectors and haulers and have been serving the Midlands for five years. Anchor provided the stylists with containers for the campaign, and will collect, clean and separate the plastic.”
Ghandour, owner of the new Charlotte based business, Inspired Plastics said, “Inspired Plastics is in the exploratory phase, we are testing the Carolina market and collecting the right type of plastic is key. The salon plastic will be shredded, heated and molded to make beautiful, durable products.
Ghandour and Wilson have initiated pilots to generate the plastic to make samples tiles and demonstrate the workings of a circular economy. For a year, the women have been working with a team from the UofSC School of Engineering. The mechanical engineering students have designed and are building a unique heat press which will be used as a demonstration machine.
“Plastic waste can be made into beautiful and durable furniture and construction grade material, suitable for indoor or outdoor use, perfect for architects and designers of all kinds. Our model is based on a specific artistic manufacturing process made popular by environmentally conscious studios, sustainable builders and entrepreneurs in Europe.” said Ghandour.
For more information about the Be Beautiful and Go Green campaign, or to start your own plastic recycling pilot, email Anchor Shred & Recycle at Info@anchorshredcompany.com
Follow our journey and be inspired, Follow Inspired Plastics on Instagram
