Fiber Donation FAQS

Every question related to the Clean Wave Program. Learn more about the donation process, mat making, different oil spills,
ways you can get involved, external resources, and more!

Thank you for your interest in the Clean Wave Program and Matter of Trust.

How do I donate hair/fur/fleece?

To donate to our Clean Wave program, first sign up to the Free Exchange on our HumSum.net – Humanity Adding Solutions Network (even for a one time hair donation). We ask you to do this because the warehouse factories have limited space. We direct donations to multiple addresses. We always need ponytails that are 3 inches or longer (we use these for the mats’ scrims – like a lacy framework we fill in with shorter hair, fur, fleece etc.). We also need a large database of donors that we can reach out to during emergency oil spills, so thank you for signing up!

Steps to Donating (Posting) at The Hum Sum:
(create account if you don’t have one)
1) log in, go to Free Exchange
2) click Donate a Gift
3) select Gifts -> Clean Wave -> type of fiber
4) fill out form and click Post

Why can’t you just give me an address?!

Due to the sheer volume of donations from the thousands of generous donors like yourself, we have to manage the volume and direct materials to closest recipients.
Not all depots are always open, and we don’t want any boxes returned.
Please sign up to the Free Exchange on our Hum Sum – Humanity Adding Solutions platform and post your gift of hair under the Clean Wave – hair category. Thanks!

What are the properties of hair that help in an oil spill cleanup?

It’s the surface area of the hair – the nooks and crannies along the strands. The oil coats it all. Hair is adsorbent not absorbent. Hair doesn’t swell up like a sponge, instead the oil coats the entire surface area of the hair, and because of the sheer volume it is a very efficient material.

What happens to my hair when you get it?

Matter of Trust uses hair/fur/fleece donations in several ways. Fibers are felted into mats on site (or at partner felting sites) or they are stuffed into sheaths such as donated nylon stockings, or burlap coffee bean bags, to make booms. (see manufacturing hair mats page for more information.)

Mats, booms, and loose fibers are being used in research and pilot studies around the world. The mats are used by hazmat teams in oil spill cleanups and by public works departments in storm drain cages to keep motor oil drip spills out of waterways. Booms are best for encircling spills or “sandbagging” a beach to keep sands clean. Natural waste fibers are also used in classroom oil spill clean up demos.

 

Does hair float?

Yes, hair floats – that is why it is last to go down your shower drain and sometimes blocks up the pipes. Hair mats are designed to float, while hair booms are also designed to stack and protect beaches. Oil and hair both float, but dirt and seaweed can weigh booms down.
Ideally, adsorbent oil spill cleanup materials are not left for days on end but are retrieved quickly. Remember, ships are made of steel so even steel floats when it is in the right shape.

How do you make hair booms?

We now usually make mats, roll them and tie with twine at the ends. You can also stuff large quantities of natural waste fiber (buffalo fleece, laundry lint, etc.) into recycled coffee bean burlap sacks. Plus, here’s a link for how to make them with recycled pantyhose: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHuWyFVo62o

Can used hair mats be wrung out and reused?

Although hair mats and booms are strong and can be wrung out, they’re better for one use because they get so much dirt, sand, seaweed etc. stuck in them and it becomes a messy and unnecessary business to try and reuse them. Also, like with any towel or sponge, they become a little less efficient than the first time. Hair is a renewable resource and you can usually make more than enough mats and booms.

Has the technique of using hair to clean up oil spills been tested by laboratories?

The fiber materials and the mats (and “pillows”) have been tested and were patented but are now free domain. You can test it yourself very easily – we do it in schools all the time. Currently the US Air Force and Army Corps of Engineers are working with us on more testing for best containment – funny – they’re not keen on the reused nylon stockings 🙂

Test by the University of Technology Sydney, Australia: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0301479718308570

What is the adsorbent weight ratio of hair booms vs. synthetic?(ex: how much oil can 1lb of hair adsorb/soak up compared to synthetic?)

Hair is faster than the synthetic booms we have tested. Synthetic booms eventually soak up as much. We feel that oil spills need to be cleaned fast and by communities because dilution is a big deal. We have a comparison video on this. Hair booms don’t float as well as synthetic booms. However, they both soak oil equally well. Hair mats do float as well – that research is coming out later this year. The synthetic booms do float but abandoned booms break apart fast and the synthetic fibers can be swallowed by sea life.

What are some challenges that Matter of Trust has run into with the Clean Wave Program?

That depends upon the year. If it’s a year with major oil spills in the press, then we have the problem of too much hair and not enough warehouse space. Donor impulses are very strong and they like immediate response, and unfortunately we can’t always accept all the donations that we receive. Recipient responses are usually, surprisingly, much more patient.

At other times we can use more supply or more volunteers, or more municipal takers so that we can support the program and make it sustainable and able to donate to emergency oil spills.

How do environmental factors impact oil composition?

In cold water, oil can get hard and tar ball-like. It often washes up in silver dollar size blobs, which, when moist, are easy to dab up with hair mats or even by rolling booms along the sands (just make sure they have thick tights and not running nylons.) A lot of hair booms in burlap sacks will collect oil washing up and you don’t have to worry so much about the integrity of the nylons. Booms are really solid and the surface area is inside so the oil mixed in the water waves will get in there but mats are more efficient as wipers.

Do volunteers and cleanup crews have to be trained?

See our videos on booming.  Each location is different about actual oil spill cleanup.

What steps should I take if an oil spill has occurred in my area?

We have set up a website called TheHumSum.org for donations and wishes for hair and supply donations. It’s free and anyone anywhere can use it. If you want us to, we will highlight your wishes on the homepage, our facebook etc. and with our international partners. Other steps we suggest taking are to:

  • Try working with authorities and remember that they are very stressed and under a lot of pressure and don’t like this any more than you do. They may be afraid of lawsuits and public mobilizations may scare them.
  • Find private places that do need public help – private beaches, docks etc. all of nature is connected and doesn’t know or care about what’s private and what’s public.
  • Have the press show what is working – sometimes there can be lines on beaches – hair vs. no hair.
  • Ask for help with containment materials. Nylons, tights, burlap sacks, crab bags, more ideas from local surplus – welcome any ideas. Aim for natural or reusable materials when possible.
  • Get donations of tyvek suits and gloves – as many as you can. It’s a messy business.
  • Set up separate tarps, bags or cans for disposing of the tyvek suits and gloves and nylons, tights, pool noodles or any floatation assistance, rope, burlap bags, crab bags…
  • Keep the oily hair separate – it may be useful for legal reasons to take photos and to save for testing – and it can be (laboriously) composted or burned as a fuel source.

Do you have any interesting statistics/data about oil spills that you could share?

We were told that during the BP spill we received donations from every zip code in North America – according to USPS, plus 30 other countries. We also got 3/4 of a million pounds of waste fiber donations over a 4-day period of exceptional press, including truckloads of buffalo fleece (April being fleecing season).

1 pound of hair soaks up 1 liter of oil in 1 minute (but that can be done faster if manipulated in the oil).

EPA letter to Phil McCrory Oil Spill Hair Mat inventor:

We’re currently concentrating on storm drains because 50% of oil spills that contaminate our waterways comes from used motor oil drops on our roadways being washed by rain into storm drains. Big flashy newsworthy oil spills are actually a small percentage of the problem, but they’re sexier and help with awareness. Storm drains don’t excite everyone as much as they do me 🙂 The great thing about storm drains is that they are in every municipality and can use 3 mats per drain per year and mats help collect leaves and twigs as well so less clogs. It’s a great local green business. We are currently setting up a model one for field trips in San Francisco city center in order to promote this to visiting conventions. SF gets 16 million tourists a year so we hope to get a lot of great ideas and feedback and expansion from this. Come and visit our Eco Hub!

What lengths of hair / kinds of fiber can I post?

Ponytails 3+ inches and longer – Please shampoo before cutting and put loose hair in an envelope. Do not secure hair with rubber bands.

• Boxes of clippings – Most salons and groomers simply reuse shampoo delivery boxes and line them with a garbage bag (ideally compostable). The boxes must be debris free meaning: nothing sharp, no cigarettes, food, metal pins, clips, garbage etc. Your box contents will end up in classrooms, felting machines, and natural habitats (waterways, rivers, oceans).

• Loose Hair, Fur, Wool, and Fleece – Hair and fur clippings can be any length. Fleece and wool can be any grade. Other acceptable fiber donations can be posted: Feathers, laundry lint, old woolen socks, etc…

Fleece donors:

Thank you for sending in “debris free” fleece clippings for our pilot project!  We can provide tax deductible receipts for your donation.  Donors also pay for the shipping and can add this to the tax receipt.  Please send in card board boxes or bags sturdy enough to be shipped.

Please note: debris free is very important as debris can ruin our felting machines. So, please, no leaves, twigs, rocks, dirt, feces, etc. or we have to discard the whole container.

Every length, color, type of fleece is welcome!
Please contact team@matteroftrust.org for shipping addresses.

• Emergency Hair Booms (sausage shape) – Booms (for floating in water, land wattles, absorbing socks…) are made of hair stuffed into clean, donated nylon stocking legs. Booms are sent directly to a spill for immediate use. We only accept booms during emergencies and when there are hazardous material removal systems in place.

• Long ponytails (8 inches or longer) – Please also check out these other cool charities who sell hair and make low cost wigs for patients with hair loss: ChildrenWithHairLoss.us (8+ inches), Wigs4Kids.org (8+ inches) , Locks of Love (10+ inches) and Pantene Beautiful Lengths (8+ inches).

• Other supplies you can donate: Rope (⅛-¼ inch thickness), Burlap Sacks, Nylon Stocking Legs, Shrimp Bags… These supplies are used for emergency spills and containing hair and booms to protect beaches and string across piers during oil spill clean up.

When you post donations on TheHumSum.org, please specify the quantity and unit size of your donations (bags, boxes, pallet, truck loads, etc…).

Check out the other departments on on our Free Exchange at TheHumSum.org. The whole program is free and designed to encourage sorting waste into useful resources, linking supply to those in need and reducing carbon emissions from overflowing landfills! Thanks!

Are hair mats safe for the environment?

Hair mats are non-toxic to the environment unlike petroleum based synthetics. Oil companies drill and use oil to make synthetic products that clean up oil spills. We are offering an efficient, renewable and natural alternative to that silly cycle.

While hair mats and hair booms shed, this shedding is minimal compared to the toxins leached by abandoned synthetic booms.

Hair mats are safe for the environment!

Why divert natural fibers from the waste stream?

Hair, fur, fleece and feathers soak up oil extremely quickly. So quickly that it is dangerous for wildlife to be near an oil spill, as their fur and feathers get coated in oil before they can escape. We take advantage of the adsorbing properties of these hairs and fibers by felting them into the form of mats and making booms.

How cost-effective is cleaning up oil spills with hair, when compared to other methods?

Hair mats are very cost-effective! When fibers and supplies are donated and people volunteer, it’s free.

We are working to create a model green business that can be replicated anywhere because the carbon footprint of shipping recycled hair clippings to the felting station and then back out to the spills or storm drains can quickly become large. There are hair salons and pet groomers everywhere, so fiber should be processed and used locally.

We are open-sourcing all of the information, budgets, challenges, successes – the whole thing – and will be setting up a starter loan fund as well. It doesn’t make sense to drill oil to use oil to make oil-based products to clean up oil spills. That cycle only makes sense to oil companies. To the rest of us, growing the renewable resource solution in front of our eyes – natural fibers are the best answer.

Who first thought of the idea to use hair to clean up oil spills?

Phil McCrory, during the Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989.

See YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mccG1DdZB3c

Full news article: Register-Herald

Does the effectiveness of hair mats/booms depend on the type of oil that has been spilled? How does hair react to soaking up lighter and heavier oils (different viscosities)?

Bunker fuel is heavy – and dries into tar balls. Jet fuel is very light. Gasoline and used motor oil are midrange. There is dirt and sand and life in water so booms will get weighed down even though oil and hair both naturally float. So removing oily hair booms quickly and adding floating assistance is key, but the hair is able to effectively absorb any kind of oil. 

How are used hair mats disposed of?

In the US, local hazmat teams are usually legally responsible for all oil spill debris, and conventionally all the debris goes to landfills or is incinerated. Whether it’s a diaper that was left on the beach or a hair boom or a shoe… When the press is watching, hazmat cleanup crews are much more vigilant. Eventually, the public gets what we call “oil spill story fatigue,” and when no one is looking, cleanup becomes sloppier.

Hair mats and booms too can be burned as a fuel of course. They are mostly just hair and oil. But this should be done in a closed system that is conscious of particulates and toxins.

Can used hair mats be composted?

Our organization has successfully demonstrated the remediation of bunker fuel oiled mats during an 18 month program from 2007-2009 by combining the use of fungal and bacterial inoculates, thermophilic composting, and vermicomposting.
This remediation process, though successful, was costly in time, labor, and space. We have learned that we can cut labor costs significantly by incorporating ventilation tubes into the compost pile. Additionally, the oily hair mats must be free of all dispersants, like Corexit (a chemical used by oil companies to break up the oil and make it sink. Corexit turned out to be an endocrine disrupter and toxic for volunteers).

Learn more here.

 

What are some examples of ordinary and major oil spills that the Clean Wave Program has helped clean up?

There are over 2600 oil spills a year on average. We are concentrating on lining storm drains and keeping oil out of waterways.
Most famously for emergency oil spills, we helped respond to the San Francisco Cosco Busan and the Mexican Gulf Coast BP Horizon. In addition, we’ve helped remotely with spills in Korea, France, Galapagos… and oil pits in the Amazon.

We mainly focus on smaller-scale oil spills. We work with the Air Force and municipalities on motor oil runoff into storm drains from runways and streets – 50% of all oil in our waterways comes from used motor oil drips. 1 quart of oil can contaminate 250,000 gallons of freshwater. Major oil spills in the press are actually a small percentage of the oil that harms the environment, but they’re useful for awareness! On average, 60 million gallons of oil bubbles up naturally from the seafloor under the ocean every year.

How quickly does oil need to be cleaned up once a spill has occurred?

Time is crucial when dilution is an issue – in an ocean, oil spreads fast. There are oil spills in the Amazon jungle that have been there for 25 years. In the US, and many other countries, companies are only required to show best efforts to clean up 5% of a spill. (Meaning they don’t even have to clean up 5%, they just have to show that they tried their best.)
This is because oil spreads out fast and thin in water and it becomes near impossible to clean more than that %. 1 quart of oil can spread out rapidly over 2 acres of ocean. Heavy oil eventually sinks to the bottom of the sea. The high-pressure deepwater BP Horizon rig had some light oil that shot up into the stratosphere. Oil can also wash up for days or collect into plumes that look like dark serpents following warmer streams within the ocean.

How do chemical dispersants change oil composition?

Oh, don’t get me started on dispersants. They create foams and all kinds of weirdness.

How can I buy hair mats?

Hair mats are available for sale on our online store.

How can I partner with Matter of Trust to start a Clean Wave satellite hair mat factory in my area?

We love partnering! The more satellite factories there are the better, as it reduces the carbon footprint associated with shipping fibers to faraway destinations. Shoot us an email at team@matteroftrust.org!