As mentioned in my previous column, last week was a busy one for me with a trip to Orlando for The NAFEM Show (North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers) with stops at the headquarters for Clean the World (the nonprofit that collects new and partially used soap, shampoo, etc. for processing and distribution) and a visit with Dina Belon-Sayre, energy specialist at The Peabody Orlando. Be sure to watch Green Lodging News this week for coverage of The NAFEM Show and my visit to The Peabody Orlando.
I have already posted an article summarizing the latest news from Clean the World but would like to highlight a few things from my visit. First of all, the organization now has 1,700 hospitality partners representing 350,000 hotel rooms—just four years after its founding. In the coming weeks and months Clean the World will be making several important announcements about new industry alliances. According to Shawn Seipler, CEO of Clean the World, by summer the organization could have as many as eight of the 10 largest hotel companies in the world as hospitality partners. That will help Clean the World reach its goal of 5 million bars of soap distributed this year—up from 3.2 million bars last year.
Since its founding, Clean the World has relied on volunteers to scrape the outside of soap bars as the first step in a cleaning process. That need will soon be coming to an end as the organization will be getting machines to automate surface cleaning and sterilization. The machines will reduce processing time by 90 percent and allow the processing of 500 pounds of soap per hour. What used to take three weeks to generate a truckload of soap will now take just three days. That is good news for the many organizations that rely on Clean the World’s donations.
Donation of Space a Boon to Distribution Network
Also getting a boost this year is Clean the World’s collection and distribution network. Until now, Clean the World has collected donations in Orlando, Las Vegas and Toronto. Thanks to an expanded relationship with Sysco Guest Supply, however, Clean the World will gain the use of seven additional distribution centers in North America. The centers, in places such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas and Chicago, will help Clean the World reduce its shipping costs and carbon footprint associated with shipping.
One Clean the World project that already has been a success prior to its official announcement is the ONE Project. It is an effort that allows groups to purchase items such as soap, shampoo, razor, toothbrush, wash cloth, etc. for inclusion in hygiene kits that are put together during meetings. Per kit, items cost $2.50. This includes shipping and marketing materials. Already, almost 80,000 hygiene kits have been distributed. Some of those were distributed to victims of Hurricane Sandy. The ONE Project allows groups to present hygiene kits in person to local organizations in need.
With its strong presence in North America, Clean the World is looking to expand to other world regions. Seipler says the Hong Kong/Macau area should see a Clean the World collection center in the next six months. It would serve more than 50,000 hotel rooms. The nonprofit also has a goal of expanding into Europe by the end of 2013.
Be sure to continue to follow Green Lodging News for additional updates on Clean the World and its work to improve public health while eliminating huge volumes of waste from the landfill (122,000 pounds of plastic recycled in 2012).
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