Recycling Hotel Soap

By: Seth Doane
Topics: Sneak Preview

(CBS)

A friend of mine told me about these guys in Florida who were working on a way to fill a need - using something that we routinely throw away in the United States.

I was curious to know more and looked into their organization "Clean the World."

Little Soaps Satisfy Big Demand in Haiti
I thought it would make for a good story for us because I've always wondered what happened to those little bars of hotel soap (they're thrown in the garbage) and secondly, I've always felt a little bit guilty about the whole thing.

More importantly, the story connects us to Haiti and is a good way to look into the much bigger issue of water and sanitation (and the lack thereof) in a country like Haiti.

The program seems to benefit a lot of folks from the hotel maids who collect the soap and feel like they're making a difference, to men from a local shelter who get jobs disinfecting the soap, to people in Haiti who cannot afford it.

Most of the soap is shipped by boat because it is a much cheaper mode of transport but we landed and met up with thousands of bars of soap that had been flown in. After we cleared customs, I got my first sense of just how valuable this commodity is in a place like Haiti...when the guys helping to load the soap into the trucks were "tipped" - not in cash - but with soap.

Check out the piece and see just how desperate folks are for something as simple as a tiny bar of soap, and how washing hands can save lives.

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by MaurizioMaranghi February 4, 2010 9:36 PM EST: I have been doing this for years...recycling my business travel's hotel room soaps, etc. and donating/recycling them to women's shelters across the country. Great post!

- Maurizio Maranghi -

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle; Reply to this comment


by KarenArena October 13, 2009 1:01 PM EDT: Not only is it a good idea, it's an old one.....Check out some archive news on this organization; http://www.samplesoap.org/; Reply to this comment


by Rodney_Hart October 12, 2009 8:33 PM EDT: Why don't they compact it into a bigger bar?; Reply to this comment


by Josey1210 October 12, 2009 7:19 PM EDT: Where is the video??; Reply to this comment


by tirechanger October 12, 2009 7:12 PM EDT: This is a great idea. It would seem that retired people, such as myself, could contact local hotels and request they participate. All we need is the details as how these guys would like our participation. I have traveled extensively and owned several businesses. I have no problem in contacting the hotels and asking for their assistance. if there is an interest, you have my email.; Reply to this comment


by tirechanger October 12, 2009 7:12 PM EDT: This is a great idea. It would seem that retired people, such as myself, could contact local hotels and request they participate. All we need is the details as how these guys would like our participation. I have traveled extensively and owned several businesses. I have no problem in contacting the hotels and asking for their assistance. if there is an interest, you have my email.; Reply to this comment