One of Africa’s largest dumps is located in Nairobi, Kenya, where some residents collect and recycle hair from the mountains of garbage. An estimated 6,000 people survive by scavenging through waste. Among them, young boys gather discarded hair extensions, selling them to beauty salons for a small profit. “You can get lucky and find unused human hair, maybe someone bought it and wasn’t satisfied with the color, so they threw it away,” one recycler explains. Human hair is highly desired for its softness and versatility. As demand rises across Africa and beyond, countries like India, China, and Brazil compete for a share of the market. Much of the recycled hair is sold to hairdressers in Korogocho, a slum across the river from the dump, where dozens of women operate makeshift hair salons.
