Chemloop

Chemical Recycling Program

Kat posing with Chemloop container, Linnk bag and Sustainable Salons bin system

Image courtesy of Hannah Foy, owner of Hannah Louisa Hair

0kg
of chemical waste recycled through the Chemloop Program

Did you know salon chemicals, when rinsed down the sink, can pollute our water systems? That’s where the Chemloop program comes in!

As part of your existing sustainable salons membership, you can now send your chemical waste to be neutralised and reused for industrial purposes.

Find out how Chemloop works

Why Chemloop?

Recycling chemical waste is better for…

Planet

Chemloop prevents chemical waste from polluting & contaminating our water systems.

People

Our Chemloop containers provide safe storage & easy handling of salon chemical waste.

Business

Chemloop is a great way to track your salon’s chemicals waste & take informed actions to reduce the amount produced.

The Sustainable Salons bin system, Linnk Bag and Chemloop container

Image courtesy of Hanna Foy, owner of Hannah Louisa Hair

How Chemloop works

Step 1

Receive

We’ll provide you with containers for use and for backup.

Two Chemloop containers, one on bench in use and one underneath in cupboard for backup
Close up of Yes/No guidelines on Chemloop container label

Step 2

Fill

Start using your container as per the YES/NO label guidelines. Fill the container to just under the 3/4 full warning line. See FAQ for more info.

Step 3

Seal

Once your contents reach just under the warning line, screw lid tight to seal. See FAQ for more info.

Demo on screwing lid tightly
Place container into Linnk Bag

Step 4

Bag

Put the sealed container inside a bin liner and secure with a knot.

Step 5

Place

Place a single bagged container in your Linnk bag for your next collection, and ensure that you check YES to “is there a chemical container inside bag?” when requesting your next collection on The Hub.

Demo on screwing lid tightly

Hanna Foy

Hanna Louisa Hair

“It’s great being able to see how much colour we use and putting them somewhere other than down the drain. Having a salon so close to the ocean and in an old building, I don’t want to be putting anything down there that would be harmful to the drainage as well as the ocean.”

Still have questions? Check out our FAQs:

Salon chemical waste is any liquid chemicals used in a salon, like shampoo and conditioner, peroxide/ developer, colour solutions (tints, semis, lightener), perm liquid, acetone, tanning solution and straightening liquid.

The Chemloop program is already included in your membership. You will receive 2 containers, one for use and one for backup via delivery to your salon. Please reach out to your account manager if you feel you need an extra container.

The Chemloop program enables your salon to safely discard their chemical waste instead of rinsing them down the drain and entering your local waste water system. Local treatment systems are equipped to filter out standard hazards and pollutants but not always when they are in higher concentrations. Chemicals such as those handled in your salon may cause undue water pollution.

Using your Chemloop container is also a great way to track your salon’s waste. This enables you to take informed actions to reduce the amount of chemical waste produced.

Please refer to the label on your Chemloop container for a YES/NO list of chemicals and materials.

YES we accept:

  • Peroxide/developer
  • Colour solutions (tints, semis, lightener)
  • Perm liquid
  • Acetone
  • Tanning solution
  • Straightening liquid
  • Shampoo & conditioner

Please refer to the label on your Chemloop container for a YES/NO list of chemicals and materials.

We do NOT accept:

  • Solid chemical waste (e.g wax, pomade)
  • Chemical packaging (please put any cardboard packaging into your paper bin)
  • Gloves
  • Brushes
  • Foil (please put foil in your metals bin)
  • Plastic bags (please put soft plastics in your plastics bin)
  • Cleaning products (like wipes, sponges etc)

These materials greatly complicate our recycling process as we need to manually remove them in order to recycle the chemicals correctly.

During transit, chemicals can oxidise and expand within the container. By only filling it up to ¾ full, there is enough room left for this oxidation process to occur safely.

You can clean your empty liquid chemical bottles by adding a little warm water, shaking to loosen residue then pouring into your Chemloop container. Ensure no liquid chemicals are left in the bottle before placing these in your plastic bin so they can be properly recycled.

The Chemloop containers are designed to be leak proof. This is however dependent on the lid being screwed on properly. To avoid any risk of spillage, please ensure the lid is screwed on tightly before placing it in your Linnk Bag.

Please only send 1 container back in a Linnk bag collection at a time to ensure the bag’s weight is not too heavy and there is ease of transport. This means you will always have 1 in stock.

On booking your next collection please tick that you will be adding a chemloop container into your collection. This will prompt us to send you a clean one. Please note it may take up to 2 weeks to receive your replenishment container.

We redirect all that chemical waste to our specialised chemical recycling partners, who then extract the water from it (98% of the stuff!) via centrifuge or rebalancing it back to a pH level of 7. This bore water then gets sold and reused for industrial purposes like construction sites and roadworks.