Charity Cleans Up With Used Soap

Have you ever wondered what happens to your gently-used bar of soap when you leave your hotel room? Seems like a waste to throw it out, but who wants to pack a slimy bar alongside their dirty socks?

Well, now fret no more.

Ugandan refugee Derreck Kayongo was so impressed by the variety of soaps available in the United States that he found a way to share the bounty with his former countrymen.

Kayongo, who lives in Atlanta, has gathered 10,000 pounds of used soap from 60 hotels in Georgia as part of his Global Soap Project, reports the Associated Press.

The bars, which are being stored in Kayongo's basement, will be melted down, sterilized and reshaped before they're shipped to Uganda where they will be distributed to refugees.

Kayongo, who was forced to flee a dictatorship in his homeland, comes by his charitable work honestly. His father was a soapmaker. He's part of a growing number of people recylcing soap for charity.

The idea is to help curb disease and improve sanitation among those who would have no other means of staying clean.

It may seem like a small contribution, but we've got to hand it to Kayongo for finding a way to reduce waste while helping his countrymen.

Photo courtesy of 00dann via Flickr.