At a ceremonial ribbon-cutting event, representatives from the Clean the World Foundation, a nonprofit organization that collects, recycles and distributes recycled hotel soaps and bottled amenities (shampoo, conditioner, lotion etc.), and Caesars Foundation opened a new soap recycling facility in Las Vegas to help stop the spread of preventable diseases in communities worldwide.
The Las Vegas Recycling Operations Center, located at 3111 S. Valley View Blvd., will serve as the soap and bottled amenities collection center and bar soap recycling site for all hotel partners in the western region of the United States.
Thanks to $250,000 in grants from the Caesars Foundation and founding partner, Caesars Entertainment Corporation, hotel soap can now be quickly processed and redistributed to those in need in the community and around the world decreasing preventable illnesses and disease related deaths.
"The Caesars Foundation's multiple grants have enabled us to substantially increase our operational capacity, diverting tons of soap and amenity-related waste from local landfills," says Shawn Seipler, CEO of Clean the World. "It is fantastic to see such a collective effort from the gaming companies and their employees in Las Vegas to help others around the world."
During the past year, Las Vegas has quickly become one Clean the World's largest soap donating communities in the western United States with organizations such as Caesars Entertainment donating more than 100,000 pounds of soap last year. Each bar of gently used soap is collected by housekeepers and then hygienically treated at the facility. Caesars Entertainment and its housekeeping staff have collected more than 40 tons of soap since implementing the program at its resort casinos nationwide.
"Our employees' enthusiasm and commitment to help the cause is contagious and visible at every level of our organization," says Rick Mazer, regional president for Caesars Entertainment. "It is humbling to think of the many lives saved and the reduced environmental impact we are having by recycling something as common as soap."
More than 5 million lives are lost each year the majority of whom are children to diseases such as acute respiratory infection and diarrheal disease caused by improper hygiene and lack of soap. By recycling used hotel soap and bottled amenities and distributing them to areas that do not have access to these essential items, Clean the World hopes to save millions of lives.
In just three years, Clean the World has distributed nearly 10 million bars of soap to children and families in the United States, Canada and more than 45 countries around the world, preventing more than 1.2 million pounds of waste from polluting North American landfills.
The next planned distribution of soaps from Las Vegas 10,000 soap bars will go to Ethiopia in early March.
To learn more about Clean the World visit www.cleantheworld.org.
How Contaminated Is Your Stretcher? The Hidden Risks on Hospital Wheels
July 3rd 2025Despite routine disinfection, hospital surfaces, such as stretchers, remain reservoirs for harmful microbes, according to several recent studies. From high-touch areas to damaged mattresses and the effectiveness of antimicrobial coatings, researchers continue to uncover persistent risks in environmental hygiene, highlighting the critical need for innovative, continuous disinfection strategies in health care settings.
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
Streamlined IFU Access Boosts Infection Control and Staff Efficiency
June 17th 2025A hospital-wide quality improvement project has transformed how staff access critical manufacturer instructions for use (IFUs), improving infection prevention compliance and saving time through a standardized, user-friendly digital system supported by unit-based training and interdepartmental collaboration.
Spring Into Safety: How Seasonal Deep Cleaning Strengthens Hospital Infection Control
June 13th 2025Rooted in ancient rituals of renewal, spring-cleaning has evolved from cultural tradition to a vital infection prevention strategy in modern hospitals—one that blends seasonal deep cleaning with advanced disinfection to reduce pathogens, improve air quality, and protect patients.