Did you know that sometimes the bars of soap that you leave behind in your hotel shower get recycled and can potentially save lives?
Well, it's true. A 15-month-old, non-profit group called Clean the World recycles old hotel soaps into new soap and shampoo for impoverished countries and U.S. homeless shelters, the National Geographic Traveler told us earlier this month. Its primary goal is to help children in developing countries combat diarrheal diseases that cause nearly 1.8 million childhood deaths per year, the article says. Proper hygiene practices can elimimate avoidable deaths.
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In its Florida lab, Clean the World cooks the soap to remove impurities before reshaping it into 2-ounce bars, according to the group's website. It has recycling centers in Orlando, Houston and Atlanta, the article says.
Since its start, Clean the World says it has put more than "4 million soap bars and 200,000 pounds of shampoo and conditioner back into use, simultaneously eliminating over 380 tons of waste, according to its website.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/hotelcheckin/post/2010/05/clean-the-world-embassy-suites-ritz-carlton-quality-inn-recycle-half-used-soaps/1Who is behind Clean the World? A couple of road warriors.
Seipler and Paul Till - road warriors with "high-octane sales careers" and an interest in the green economy - launched Clean the World in February 2009.
"We were business travelers," Seipler told me. "I spent 150-200 nights away. In a typical work week, I went to four different cities - Monday, New York; Tuesday, Chicago, and Wednesday, Minneapolis." He used to try to bring back old soaps and shampoos to give them to needy groups, but TSA limits on liquids and gels at airports made it difficult to do, he said.
Today, Clean the World today recycles soap from about 200 hotels in 25 states, including Sheraton, Embassy Suites, La Quinta and Ritz-Cartlon hotels.
It currently has a recycling center in Orlando and on June 1, will open another in Las Vegas. It also has a collection center in Washington D.C.; new ones will open in Chicago, New York and Houston within the next 90-180 days, he said.
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/hotelcheckin/post/2010/05/clean-the-world-hotel-program-sheraton-embassy-suites-marriott-gilchrist--soames/1?loc=interstitialskipWhat a great idea and cause!