Kraków entrepreneur recycles old hotel soap to help needy

Taking the concept of zero waste to a new level, a Kraków-based entrepreneur is winning praise for recycling used bars of hotel soap and donating them to those in need.

Having had his curiosity piqued five-years ago after a colleague asked him what he thought happened to hotel soap after it had been used, Jarosław Kędroń began exploring possibilities to slash the amount of waste and recycle soap into reusable form.

Doing so took several years, with Kędroń first attempting to turn it into liquid form. When this lacked the required consistency, he turned his attention to transforming it into more standard bars.

Building the processing machines himself with the help of some friends, Kędroń’s self-styled ‘soap shop’ collects used soap around once a month in an Opel Corsa before drying it and then mechanically removing the top layer of grime.Resoap Project

Speaking to Business Insider Polska, Kędroń said: “Turning used soap into liquified soap was 90 percent successful, however, it lacked some important features so I decided to start from scratch and create bars of soap – in all, it took me about a year to develop that specific process.”

Building the processing machines himself with the aid of some friends, Kędroń’s self-styled ‘soap shop’ collects used soap around once a month in an Opel Corsa before drying it and then mechanically removing the top layer of grime.

After, surface disinfection takes place before the discs of soap are then ground down before facing a second bout of sterilisation. The soap is then turned into blocks using heat and pressure.

Resoap Project

Resoap Project

The first hotel to sign-up to the initiative were the Marriott Sopot (pictured top) and they were soon followed by others such as the Sheraton Poznan (pictured middle), the Westin Warsaw, AC Marriott Wroclaw, Sofitel Grand Sopot (pictured bottom) , with last week seeing the Nobu Warsaw and the capital’s Sofitel Victoria also join. Resoap Project

The last step sees the soap guillotined into smaller bars before being embossed with the logo of Kędroń’s firm, Resoap Project.

The first to sign-up to the initiative were the Marriott Sopot and they were soon followed by others such as the Sheraton Grand Warsaw. Kędroń credits these for paving the way for further collaborations with other high-profile hotels such as the Westin Warsaw, AC Marriott Wroclaw and Sofitel Grand Sopot.

Now cooperating with twelve hotels, last week saw two more elite names added to the list: Nobu Warsaw and the capital’s Sofitel Victoria.

Treating Resoap Project as “a mission to help others”, Kędroń said: “In June alone we collected 178.5 kilos of waste and were able to turn those into 1,800 bars of soap – just imagine throwing away 1,800 bars of soap into the rubbish. I think that really demonstrates what we’re trying to do.” Jarosław Kędroń/Facebook

From his portfolio of volunteer hotels, Kędroń says that the first half of 2023 saw 650.6 kilos of waste collected from nine hotels.

Treating Resoap Project as “a mission to help others”, Kędroń already has one eye on the future.

“In France around 350 hotels recycle their soap, whereas in Poland that number is just twelve,” he says.

Resoap Project

Resoap Project

Currently, recipients of the soap include an array of Polish orphanages, Ukrainian refugee organisations and, even, charitable missions as far afield as Cameroon.Resoap Project

“However, in June alone we collected 178.5 kilos of waste and were able to turn those into 1,800 bars of soap – just imagine throwing away 1,800 bars of soap into the rubbish. I think that really demonstrates what we’re trying to do.”

With hotels paying for the collection of their soap waste this, says Kędroń, helps finance the initiative.

Yet whilst the primary goal has always been the protection of the planet through the reduction of C02 and energy consumption related to soap disposal, another benefit has also emerged with Resoap Project supplying charitable organisations both home and abroad with soap.

Currently, recipients of the soap include an array of Polish orphanages, Ukrainian refugee organisations and, even, charitable missions as far afield as Cameroon.