DAR ES SALAAM, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- When David Dennis first noticed hair scattered in his high school barber shop, he had no idea that those discarded strands would one day place him at the forefront of a booming green innovation movement.

Today, the 27-year-old Tanzanian is the founder and chief executive officer of Cut-Off Recycle Limited, a waste management and agricultural support company that transforms human hair into organic fertilizers.

What began as a simple observation has evolved into a patented innovation, a job-creating circular economy model, and a business now connected to global markets, particularly China.

The idea behind Cut-Off Recycle was first sparked in 2017, when Dennis was still in high school. "I followed where the hair went. It was burned in the open air within the school compound," he recalled.

The practice released thick smoke and harmful gases, leading to carbon emissions, air pollution, and environmental degradation, both wasteful and dangerous, Dennis noted.

Alongside his classmate and now co-founder, Ojung'u Jackson, Dennis began researching the properties of human hair.

They discovered that hair is primarily made up of keratin, a nitrogen-rich protein. When broken down, keratin releases amino acids, which are vital nutrients for plant growth.

The pair developed three potential innovations during their early experimentation. After finishing high school, Dennis took a gap year to study the scale of the problem and the opportunity.

Across Tanzania and much of Africa, hair waste is often dumped in landfills, burned, or left to litter. In some communities, people bury hair due to long-standing cultural beliefs that it can be used for black magic. Collecting human hair at scale would require not only technology, but trust.

Meanwhile, Dennis identified another pressing issue -- fertilizer dependency. Nearly 90 percent of fertilizers used in Tanzania are imported, mostly inorganic chemical products manufactured by multinational companies.

Dennis saw an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

In 2020, Cut-Off Recycle Limited was officially founded in the Arusha region, focusing on the collection of human hair waste and the production of organic agricultural inputs.

The company not only patented a method for processing human hair into amino-acid-based liquid fertilizers, but also expanded into producing a growing medium made from hair and other organic materials.

Dennis also traveled over 600 km from his hometown, Arusha, to Dar es Salaam for a bachelor's degree in environmental science and management. His academic journey culminated in a dissertation on the decomposition of human hair, earning a distinction grade.

To address cultural taboos around hair collection, Cut-Off Recycle implemented an incentive-based model, paying barber shops, waste collectors, and individuals for the hair they collect and deliver to company hubs.

Over 350 people have already earned income through the hair collection initiative in Arusha alone. With a new collection hub in Dar es Salaam, the company seeks to create opportunities for more than 500 collectors.

"Instead of asking for money at home, young people can collect hair waste from nearby barber shops and earn income," said Dennis.

In Africa, where waste management systems remain underdeveloped, hair waste is rarely prioritized. Yet its impact is visible on streets and in drainage channels, Dennis said.

In 2024, Dennis traveled to China twice.

His first visit came through a program supported by the International Trade Center (ITC) under the United Nations, which selected 100 African businesses to participate in a digital trade initiative.

During the program, Dennis learned how even traditional industries can access global markets through digital platforms. Cut-Off Recycle became the first company in Tanzania to sell agricultural inputs in China, opening doors to international customers and partnerships.

Dennis also attended the China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo in Changsha, the capital city of central China's Hunan Province, where he connected with Chinese manufacturers, including an agricultural input producer based in Shenzhen.

Cut-Off Recycle now sources packaging materials and processing inputs from China at significantly lower costs, while also engaging in technology exchange. Dennis was also struck by the value Chinese entrepreneurs place on long-term relationships.

"Friendship matters in China," he said. "When I returned for my second visit, the same partner picked me up at the airport. That trust has made collaboration much easier."

During his second trip, Dennis visited cities of Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Beijing, as well as technology firms, including Baidu. "If a tech company can move into mobility, then an agricultural company can expand into multiple support solutions for farmers," he said.

Despite its success, Cut-Off Recycle faces major challenges, particularly in scaling technology. Dennis and his team are now working with original equipment manufacturers, particularly those in China, to design custom machinery for sorting, shredding, and composting hair waste.

A new branch of Cut-Off Recycle recently opened in Dar es Salaam, in partnership with Watende Investment Company Limited, a local company specializing in waste collection and management services.

Looking ahead, Dennis envisions a network of hair collection hubs across major African cities and franchise-based fertilizer manufacturing units operating locally.

He hopes to change how people think about waste. "My dream is for everyone to see hair not as waste, but as opportunity," he added.