( Mother Nature Network ) -- If you 've been keeping tabs on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico , you 've probably been wondering how exactly you can help . Well , for those of you with furry , four-legged flatmates , it can be as easy as sweeping the floors and collecting all that errant fur and hair . So how exactly can hoarding pet fur help with cleaning up one of the worst environmental disasters in recent memory ? Enter Matter of Trust , a San Francisco-based nonprofit that 's been accepting donations of non-filthy pet fur and human hair since 1998 to craft oil-absorbing hairmats -- described as `` flat square dreadlocks '' -- and hair-stuffed containment booms made from recycled pantyhose . These hairy contraptions are effective at soaking-up oil and they do n't require any new resources ... just stuff you 'd normally trash ( or compost ) unless you 're into , umm , stockpiling fur . I must say , sending along fur to Matter of Trust via Excess Access is an eco-ideal spring cleaning mission for folks with critters around the house . In addition to pet owners , groomers and salon owners can get involved too by sending in bulk shipments of hair/fur . In fact , as of Tuesday , 400,000 pounds of hair was en route to the Gulf Coast . Mother Nature Network : How to treat cats with allergies . Alabama hairdresser Phil McCrory came up with the hairy idea while watching news reports on the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill , according to the Matter of Trust website . As a hair professional , he knows how hair is attracted to oil -- and why humans need to shampoo their hair regularly . The oil clings to the hair but is not absorbed by it . That makes hair a good , natural cleaning aide . Matter of Trust says they 've opened more than a dozen warehouses in Alabama , Mississippi , Louisiana and Florida where the hair is shipped . Hundreds of volunteers stuff the hair and fur into nylons which are then tied together to form tubes or booms . The booms are used to surround , contain and aid cleanup of the oil spill . What is needed , how to send it : . • Clean hair from human heads -- can be straight , curly , dyed , permed , straightened • Every type of fur , horse hair , wool waste and feather is fine • Make certain there is no garbage -- metal or paper -- in with the hair/fur • Washed nylon stocking ( even with runs ) • Place in separate plastic garbage bag , put inside of separate boxes labeled debris-free hair/fur or nylons • Check with Matter of Trust website to find out where to ship the boxes . © Copyright 2010 Mother Nature Network .
Your pet and pet 's fur is needed to help clean Gulf oil spill . The hair and fur is stuffed into nylon bags which become oil . The oil goes to the hair extensions and fur which are then removed from water . Matter of Trust is coordinating collections and volunteers to clean booms .