Phase 2 of the coronavirus emergency will lead to the reopening of many activities that will have to use disposable kits, gloves and masks, to the detriment of the environment
Don't store avocado like this: it's dangerousDisposable kit, plastic gloves, masks that must cover the nose and mouth. We are approaching phase 2 of the coronavirus emergency and there are many activities that will reopen, including the hairdressing salons. One of our reader Katia Filippin, hairdresser, tells us doubts and perplexities about the new measures from the point of view of environmental impact because it is undeniable that among other things, this pandemic has brought us back light years in terms of sustainability. Masks and gloves, as we have already said, are unfortunately part of the street furniture as they are thrown on the ground as if nothing had happened and as always, the consequences are paid by the environment.
Katia Filippin, owner of Classic & Rock Style in Castellavazzo, in the municipality of Longarone, has been a hairdresser for 22 years and for four moved by reasons related to environmental impact, protection of personal health and customers, she has chosen not to dye her hair anymore and to drastically reduce chemical treatments in favor of henna, rejecting 'new clients looking for treatments that distort nature and the true unique beauty that every hair has'.
“My category has been on standby for weeks and our suppliers are doing a great job to allow us to restart, as soon as possible with compulsory or not compulsory adjustments, for now some are referred to as“ advice ”,” Filippin tells us.
What do they predict? Disposable kits to be provided to customers: gloves, masks, kimonos, sanitizing gels, signs on sanitization and positive mottos, arrows on the ground to indicate the distances and the path to take, disposable towels, visors, disposable cutting capes, ultraviolet sterilizers, virucidal and disinfectant sprays, ionizers for the 'air.
“A mountain of stuff, don't you think? Well, looking one step further, all this stuff I see in its final form, which is: waste. A mass of waste that I can not quantify in less than a pallet a week, I see costs, purchase and disposal. I don't know how many of you have tried drying your hair with disposable towels. Try and tell me how many you need, for now I tell you, at least 2, plus one on the shoulders, over a kimono that presumably in the time of maximum 2 hours (time it takes to perform color cut and fold) will become waste, I wonder , can't I ask my customers to bring two towels from home?
According to the hairdresser, the same goes for masks and gloves. “Isn't it compulsory to leave the house wearing these protections? Why should I supply them? Aren't we all equally obliged to responsibly provide for our own and others' hygiene and safety? ”. In terms of disposable cut capes, more or less the same thing happens. Working alone, Katia will be able to make about fifteen cuts a day, since, among other things, she will have to keep the safety distance. "I wonder, couldn't I have 20 washable and sanitizable capes in the shop?".
The insiders have been provided with general guidelines, but we will have to wait for official communications that will start on May 4th. Certainly there is the use of nose and mouth protectors, but it is not yet clear whether all services will be guaranteed. The fact is, that already having this amount of materials will cost a lot both to the environment and to the hairdressers themselves. "They have a cost that will lead to an inevitable and justified increase in the price list and it is not certain that from now on everyone can use our and many other services with the same" antevirus "frequency", explains Filippin who does not deny a 'further concern, that of the increase in undeclared work.
"The need to cut hair will remain and I foresee an exponential increase in illegal work, in homes that will welcome friends and relatives to get their hair in common and at low cost and the cry of" To hell with the coronavirus, I can't spend € 45 to cut hair!".
Which is not so far from reality since other traders whose activities are closed have also complained that many have equipped themselves with the do-it-yourself and have doubts about returning to old habits. "The undeclared work there is also in small businesses and unfortunately there are those who practice it all their life, even in Veneto, even in my country, but sadly it is always easier to control those who work legally ”, he says again.
Then there is a whole discussion on the level of safety.
“How many times has it been said that our stores are safe? Just think that since 2013 the obligation of the health book for hairdressers has been abolished. Who cares if you breathe chemical substances, if by dint of standing, washing, cutting, dyeing, bleaching, curling, ironing and drying hair you have tennis elbow, osteoarthritis, dermatitis, asthma and who knows what else, the important thing is to sterilize the work tools and keep the environment clean ".
“I also wonder how much this new aseptic world will weaken us, there are so many studies that closely link the high levels of hygiene and the incidence of allergies and autoimmune diseases. This happens because our body cannot develop the antibodies it needs to defeat allergens. I sincerely hope not to be the only one to ask these questions and I hope that the choices in this regard will be made taking into account all the regressive and future factors, and on the imposing impact that our decisions may have on an already deadly problem. and self-produced called pollution ".
Read also:
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