One night at a hotel in 2009, tech executive Shawn Seipler thought about how many bars of soap guests use for a night and then leave. He called the front desk to find out what they did with the used soap and learned that they just throw it away. In the U.S. alone, hotels throw out about 3.3 million bars of soap every day.
So, Seipler started Clean the World, a nonprofit that recycles soap, in his garage. He quickly discovered that major hotel chains, airlines, cruise companies and casinos were happy to pay him to take their waste. The business has since grown into a $750k production facility in Orlando, Florida, with branch operations around the world.
Clean the World works with international humanitarian organizations to direct the recycled soap to people in need. Soap is sent to places like natural disaster areas, refugee facilities and countries with high rates of diseases caused by a lack of simple hygiene products. One 3-oz bar of soap is good for 100 hand-washings. So, next time you’re in a hotel, think about it. As Seipler says, “I know it sounds funny, but that little bar of soap on the counter in your hotel room—that thing can literally save a life.”