MIT becomes first Auckland training salon to join sustainability programme
Caption: MIT Hairdressing lecturers Vicki Grant (L) and Nicola Ter Weijden (R) say recycled hair can be used for everything from wigs, fertilizer and cleaning up oil spills
Manukau Institute of Technology’s Hairdressing School is now part of Sustainable Salons, a trans-Tasman movement that rescues 95% of salon resources from landfill for community benefit.
The school has joined over 1400 hair, barber, beauty, dermal and pet grooming salons across Australia & New Zealand recycling hair clippings, foils, tubes, chemicals and packaging that would have previously ended up as landfill.
“Hairdressing at MIT right from the start is about foundation learning, now it is embedded that we are a sustainable salon. So while you’re learning to be a hairdresser you’re also learning what we can do to make the environment better,” says lecturer Vicki Grant (Ngāpuhi).
At the school, waste is sorted into bins for paper, plastic, metal and hair to be collected and repurposed. Foils and tubes can be recycled, while hair is put to a range of uses from wigs to fertilizer and even booms to combat oil spills.
By participating in the programme we add a Sustainable Salons fee of $3 to each appointment. This ensures all resources are recycled or repurposed. As a social enterprise, the profits from these recycling streams fund organisations such as Kiwiharvest who provide meals for those in need across New Zealand.
The school is excited by this partnership which is an investment in the planet to help build a more sustainable hair and beauty sector.
“The biggest thing is that we are all becoming more aware within our industry this is what we need to do,” says lecturer Nicola Ter Weijden.
“What it does is make you aware of everything we are using in the salon. It promotes conversations on a daily basis. We have a tube of colour. The lid is plastic and the tube is metal. It breaks down a lot of the stuff to recycle in different ways. In turn, there’s a follow-on effect to what students are doing in their homes as well.”
Sustainability is one of the key themes in the institute’s Strategic Plan. This way, we acknowledge our responsibility as a learning provider to incorporate sustainable concepts and practices into educational, research and operational activities.
“I think it’s great the school is leading the way in this area,” says School of Hospitality, Tourism and Service Industries head Ryan Hollis. “It also prepares our students to meet the expectations customers have of salons when they book an appointment.”
The school’s new premises are located on ?tara campus in a bright, attractive salon environment replicating the same creative atmosphere students will encounter on entering industry.
Lecturers take pride in offering a supportive learning experience where knowledge is shared lecturer to student, as well as between classes.
“One of the things that works beautifully is our tuakana-teina relationships,” says Vicki Grant. “I see them developing on a daily basis. That’s the thing that stands out for me. It promotes excitement and inspires learners to progress higher.
Sustainable Salons was founded by Paul Frasca and Ewelina Soroko in 2015 to reduce the thousands of tonnes of waste created by the sector each year. To date, the social enterprise has diverted over 1.2 million kgs of salon resources away from landfill, donated over 208,000 meals to KiwiHarvest & other charities, and donated over 187,000 ponytails to medical wig makers like Freedom Wigs NZ.
MIT School of Hairdressing is a working salon, taking bookings between now and November. You can look at services, pricings and make an appointment here