Clean Conscience’s tagline is #makingadifference which they certainly do.
Currently they offer the only facility for recycling hotel soap and toiletries in the UK. Their weekends involve collecting soap and hygiene products from a number of hotels in London and taking it back to base, which is a Nissan Hut just outside of Maidenhead, where the products are ready to be processed the following week.
The soap is mashed up and turned into ‘noodles’ which is then sent to Mumbai via Sundara, an organisation that work to empower women and children through better hygiene and health care, where local women turn the noodles of soap back into individual bars which is then distributed. 1.7 million children under the age of 5 die from diarrhoea and pneumonia worldwide. Washing hands with soap can reduce death by 60% and so the little bar of soap you use once in your hotel room is so important to someone else.
All unopened bottles of shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and body lotion are put into Carekits which are toiletry bags that are distributed to Crisis and Homeless Shelters.
The opened bottles have their contents put into 5lt containers with a biocide approved for cosmetic products added to ensure they are safe to use, and these containers are then distributed to those in need such as foodbanks. Businesses including B&Bs, Guest Houses, Gyms, etc. can also take them in exchange for a donation towards to the project.
Through this project Clean Conscience are currently diverting 18 tonnes of waste from landfill per year and put the product back into something worthwhile.
As well as the amazing work they do it wouldn’t be right to miss out on a mention to the enthusiastic staff. The project is reliant on volunteers and Clean Conscience works with the Ways Into Work project providing opportunities for disadvantaged individuals to gain the skills and confidence they need for paid work.
All in all a wonderful scheme and one that definitely makes me wonder about the amount of toiletries that go to waste in the hospitality business and in case you are wondering why hotels don’t scrap these, like I did, did you know it is a requirement to provide individual toiletries as part of obtaining a 4* rating?
