Recycling Travel Sized

How many times have you gone to a hotel and forgot something? The soap, lotion, shampoo, conditioner. As soon as the panic dies down you realize that (most likely) the place you are staying at has taken the liberty of stocking up your bathroom. Maybe you brought your own soap, but you want to test out their soap instead (I’ve been guilty of this). Then comes the last day of your stay and the bottle isn’t quite done. Some people take it with them and use it as a travel size product, but most people just leave it at the hotel room.

Photo Credit: DeviantArt user dear3

Hotels have realized that the product left behind is a huge waste. They can’t reuse the product – because, well, do you want to use the second half of someone else’s lotion? Didn’t think so.

“Harrah’s Entertainment Inc. says it is working with an Orlando charity that collects beauty products left behind by hotel guests and then distributes them to impoverished families in the United States and more than 30 countries.

The organization, Clean the World, says it has collected more than a ton of soap in recent months from five Harrah’s resorts: Paris Las Vegas, Bally’s Las Vegas, Harrah’s Las Vegas, Imperial Palace and Caesars Palace.“ (source)

Clean the World is also working on a factory where soap will be recycled. I wonder if I’ll be able to send in the tiny pieces of leftover soap (you know – when it’s too small to use, but too big a piece to trash?) that collects in my bathroom.

Guess not everything stays in Vegas after all!