The Soap Recycling Revolution
Hotels have always thrown away tons of soap every single day. Housekeeping staff tossed half-used bars into the trash, where they sat in landfills forever. This created a huge amount of waste, but one person finally found a clever way to fix it.
Who’s The Genius?
In 2009, Derreck Kayongo stayed at a hotel and noticed something strange. The hotel replaced his barely used soap with a brand-new bar every day. When he asked about the old bars, staff admitted they threw them away. Kayongo realized that while hotels tossed millions of bars, kids and families worldwide lacked basic soap. Therefore, these children and families often died from illnesses. Kayongo soon realized he could turn that “trash” into a global tool for saving lives.
How They Recycle It
Today, groups like Clean the World and the Global Soap Project partner with hotels to recycle this soap. The process works like this:
- First, housekeeping staff collect used soap in special recycling bins.
- Next, these bins travel to large recycling centers around the world.
- Then, specialized machines shave off the outside of the bars to remove all dirt.
- After that, workers grind the soap into pellets and melt them at high temperatures to kill 99.9% of bacteria.
- Finally, the factory molds the clean, melted soap into brand new bars for distribution.
@scienceinsider What happens to the used soap you leave behind after your hotel stay? #Hotels #Recycling #Sustainability ♬ original sound – Science Insider
Why It Matters
This project has made a massive difference. Since the start, the team has sent over 85 million bars of recycled soap to families and clinics in 120 countries. Remarkably, this effort helped drop the death rate of children under five from diarrheal diseases by 60%. Therefore, the next time you leave a soap bar at a hotel, remember that it is not just trash; instead, it is a vital part of a project saving lives everywhere.
