STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:
Good morning. I'm Steve Inskeep.
You can recycle anything. In Belgium, you can even recycle your hair.
(SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "ALMOST CUT MY HAIR")
CROSBY, STILLS, NASH AND YOUNG: (Singing) Almost cut my hair.
INSKEEP: Hair has a lot of impressive properties. It's strong and really good at absorbing pollutants. So a Belgian nonprofit is taking hair from salons and recycling them into mats that act like giant sponges. The mats go in drains and soak up oil and other gunk before it ends up in waterways.
It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.