Salon waste you're paying for: sustainability that saves money

Quick answer: The biggest savings sit in four places: colour mixed and thrown away, hot water, electricity and single use supplies. UK research from Green Salon Collective found the average salon wastes 26% of its colour, worth over £2,500 a year. Weighing colour, washing with tepid water, switching to LED lighting and joining a recycling scheme cut costs and waste together. Many salons fund their recycling with a small, clearly explained sustainability fee.

Picture the end of a busy colour day. Half bowls of mixed tint by the basin, a pile of foils, towels in the wash, the water heater working overtime and the lights still on in the back room. None of it feels like money, but every part of it is.

Sustainability in salons is often talked about as something extra you do for the planet. It is that, and it is also one of the clearest ways to protect your margins. The waste you see at the end of the day is stock, water and energy you have already paid for. This guide shows where it goes, how salons around the world are reducing it, and how to talk to clients about the changes.

Colour waste: the cost in the bowl

Colour is one of the most expensive things on a salon shelf, and one of the most commonly over mixed. Green Salon Collective's chemical waste report, based on its UK collection data, found the average salon uses about 85.3kg of colour a year and wastes around 22.9kg of it. That is 26%, worth more than £2,500 per salon each year, and an estimated 600 tonnes or more across the UK.

In North America, Green Circle Salons' first impact report, published in 2023 and reported by Modern Salon, estimated that salons in the US and Canada throw away more than 42,000 pounds of excess hair colour every day.

The fixes are simple and they pay back quickly:

• Weigh, do not guess. Digital scales at the colour bar let you mix exactly what each service needs.
• Mix in stages. Start with what you know you need and mix more only if you have to.
• Record formulas and amounts. Note the grams used on each client record, so next time you mix to the gram.
• Track usage. Colour tracking apps link to your scales and show where product goes, which helps with ordering and pricing.
• Recycle what is left. Leftover colour should never go down the drain. Recycling schemes collect it safely.

Foils, tubes and metal

Foil is used once and thrown away by the roll. Aluminium recycles very well, and Green Salon Collective notes that recycling aluminium uses 95% less energy than making it new. Rinse foils, collect them separately, and send them through a scheme along with empty colour tubes and aerosol cans. Reusable foil alternatives and techniques that use less foil are also worth trying with your team.

Water and energy: the hidden bills

Heating water is the single most energy hungry job in a hair salon, more than drying hair. That finding comes from Dr Denise Baden's work with 20 salon owners at the University of Southampton, which estimated that an average four seat salon adopting the recommended practices could save 286,000 litres of water, 24,150kWh of energy and around £5,300 a year.

The National Hair and Beauty Federation, drawing on the same research, notes that heating and hot water can account for up to 60% of a salon's energy use, and lighting up to 40% of its electricity use. Practical changes include:

• Washing with tepid water rather than hot, and shampooing once where the hair allows.
• Fitting water saving shower heads at the basins.
• Switching to LED lighting and adding motion sensors in storerooms, staff areas and toilets.
• Switching off straighteners, tongs, wax heaters and lamps between clients rather than leaving them on standby.
• Turning the thermostat down by 1°C, which the NHBF says can cut heating bills by almost 10%.
• Servicing your boiler or water heater regularly.

These changes work in every salon type, from hair and barbering to nails, beauty and spa, wherever hot water, heaters and lamps are part of the day.

Single use plastics and disposables

Beauty, nail and spa businesses generate their own stream of waste: wax strips, couch roll, gloves, files, cotton pads, applicators and product packaging. Some of this is essential for hygiene and must stay single use. The savings come from everything else:

• Buy backbar products in larger sizes or refills, and decant into reusable containers.
• Choose suppliers that take back packaging or use less of it.
• Compare the true cost of disposable towels against laundering, including water, energy and staff time, and choose what works for your business.
• Recycle what you cannot avoid. Some schemes accept items like nail files, wax strips and gloves that household recycling will not take.
• Check stock rotation so products are used before they expire.

Recycling schemes around the world

Specialist salon recyclers take the items your general waste collector cannot. Here are some of the best known:

• UK and Ireland: Green Salon Collective collects hair, foils, colour tubes, chemicals and other hard to recycle salon waste, and reports more than 250 tonnes of salon waste recycled. Hair is reused in projects such as composting and mopping up oil spills.
• North America: Green Circle Salons recycles hair clippings, foils, excess colour, plastics, paper and single use items, and says it can recover up to 95% of a salon's service waste.
• Australia and New Zealand: Sustainable Salons is a not for profit resource recovery programme. By August 2025 its member salons had diverted more than 2.2 million kilograms from landfill, according to The Gordon, a member training provider.
• EU and elsewhere: options vary by country. Ask your colour brand and suppliers, many of which partner with local recyclers, and check with your local authority about chemical and metal waste collections.

Before you sign up, ask what each scheme accepts, how collection works, and what reporting you get. Those reports give you real numbers to share with clients.

Reuse before you recycle

Equipment is often the most overlooked part of salon waste. Chairs, trolleys, steamers, dryers and lamps still have years of use left when a salon refits or a room changes purpose. Selling them keeps them working and returns money to your business. Buying good used equipment does the same for you when you expand.

Talking to clients about sustainability

Clients notice and care. Green Salon Collective's Mirror Talkers study, a 12 month pilot led by Professor Denise Baden, found that 73% of clients said they were likely or very likely to change their haircare routine after sustainability conversations with their stylist. That is the trust you already have in the chair.

Keep the message simple and positive:

• Tell clients what you are doing: "We recycle all our foils, colour and hair."
• Show the results with figures from your scheme's reports, on a sign at reception or in your social posts.
• Share easy tips they can use at home, like washing with cooler water.
• Let your team speak about it in their own words, so it feels natural rather than scripted.

Pricing a sustainability fee

Many salons cover recycling costs with a small fee per client. Green Salon Collective suggests a £1 green fee can fund a salon's recycling. This is the way to make it work well:

1. Work out your real cost. Divide your annual scheme cost by your number of client visits. That tells you the fee that covers it.
2. Decide how to show it. You can list it as a separate line or build it into your prices. In some countries, consumer law requires compulsory charges to be included in the headline price, so check your local rules.
3. Explain it everywhere. Put it on your price list, booking site and website, so no one is surprised at the desk.
4. Tell clients where it goes. "This covers the recycling of everything we use on your service" is clear and honest.
5. Report back. Share how much your salon has recycled each year.

If you are reviewing your prices at the same time, our guide on why beauty business owners undercharge will help.

FAQs

How much hair colour do salons waste?

Green Salon Collective found the average UK salon wastes about 26% of its colour, around 22.9kg a year, worth over £2,500. Weighing colour and mixing in stages are the quickest ways to reduce it.

Can salon foils be recycled?

Yes. Aluminium foil recycles well once it is rinsed and collected separately. Salon recycling schemes such as Green Salon Collective and Green Circle Salons collect foils alongside other salon waste.

Should I charge clients a sustainability fee?

Many salons do. A small fee, often around £1, can cover the cost of a recycling scheme. Explain it clearly on your price list and booking site, and check local rules on how compulsory charges must be shown.

What is the easiest way to cut salon energy bills?

Focus on hot water first, as it is the biggest energy use in most hair salons. Tepid washing, water saving shower heads, LED lighting and switching equipment off between clients all help.

Keep good kit working and keep learning

When you refit or upgrade, we help you sell equipment you no longer need, and when you are growing, we help you find quality used equipment. Visit our classifieds to list or browse. To learn more about sustainable salon practice, find industry events near you or online.