Hilton recycles 500 000 kg of used soap

United States – The Hilton hotel chain is forging ahead with its soap recycling initiative. Some 750 properties across its brands will shortly begin recovering discarded soap and amenity bottles, donating them to reduce hygiene-related illnesses for communities in need. This represents a major expansion of what is claimed to be the industry’s largest soap recycling programme involving the participation of some 1400 hotels, or nearly 15% of Hilton’s portfolio.

The hotels’ used soaps are shipped to Clean the World’s collection and recycling centres where they are processed, remanufactured into new soap bars and prepared for distribution to homeless shelters, community centres and medical facilities in developing countries. For example, Hilton’s recycled soap has been donated recently to a hospital at Guayaquil in Ecuador.

Through its partnerships with Clean the World and other organisations, Hilton’s hotels have already collected more than 500 000 kg of used soap, which has been recycled into more than 4 million new bars. In addition to supplying the soap, the organisations educate people about the importance of hygiene and handwashing.

‘Nearly two million children die every year from preventable hygiene-related illnesses, and simple handwashing could cut these rates by nearly 50%,’ observes Hilton’s president and ceo Christopher Nassetta.