Have extra soaps & shampoos from your travels?

[Ancien Maestro]

While back, we had some nice soaps and shampoos.. recently, nothing worth bringing back home for..

[JDiver]

A few places to donate these:

• Shelters or safe houses for abused or homeless persons
  
• Transitional living and halfway houses for recovering mentally ill or homeless
  
• Residences for elderly, disabled
  
• Red Cross / Crescent or others providing assistance and shelters in emergencies (e.g. house fires, disasters)
  
• Programs providing training and interview opportunities for those out of work
  
• Programs providing assistance to victims of sexual violence (see orknot2be above)

nerd, nobody has to ship these thousands of miles - though some may chose to send them off if they wish.

[Ancien Maestro]

The toiletries we usually just take for personal use.. If donating to say the food bank and other ministries, its purchased and dropped off into the box.. or a gift of money, so a charitable donation receipt is obtained.

Personally, we don't take stuff from the room and donate it.. but that's just us.

[karung99]

Originally Posted by Ancien Maestro

The toiletries we usually just take for personal use.. If donating to say the food bank and other ministries, its purchased and dropped off into the box.. or a gift of money, so a charitable donation receipt is obtained.

Personally, we don't take stuff from the room and donate it.. but that's just us.

I bring my own when traveling and collect the one from hotel, donated to a friend who volunteer at shelter.

[Ancien Maestro]

Originally Posted by karung99

I bring my own when traveling and collect the one from hotel, donated to a friend who volunteer at shelter.

That sounds charitable..

ime.. walking down the halls there are carts with low hanging fruit.. in those instances, robbing Peter to give to the poor..

I mean I'm all for charity.. and don't want to mix the generous nature of what we're all capable of..

[AA_EXP09]

Sometimes I take these from the amenity kits and donate them, as I already have many of the supplies for myself.

[nerd]

Originally Posted by JDiver

nerd, nobody has to ship these thousands of miles - though some may chose to send them off if they wish.

Of course not. Yours seem to be much better suggestions than the recycling program mentioned in the OP.

[kipper]

Originally Posted by nerd

Of course not. Yours seem to be much better suggestions than the recycling program mentioned in the OP.

Another option than those listed by JDiver is to donate them to an area VA hospital. Ladies in a group that I facilitate are doing a project to help veterans, and the VA hospital in our area has requested that as part of that, we try to collect these items to create almost like care packages for those at the hospital.

[JDiver]

Excellent idea! And even the local VA clinic and Veterans resource centers are often happy to receive these for some of the folks who may currently be down and out - the war in Iraq is over, but some who are returning will need our help.

Originally Posted by kipper

Another option than those listed by JDiver is to donate them to an area VA hospital. Ladies in a group that I facilitate are doing a project to help veterans, and the VA hospital in our area has requested that as part of that, we try to collect these items to create almost like care packages for those at the hospital.

[SometimesFlyer]

The local community services organization where I live specifically asks for these hotel sized toiletries. I carry a small ziploc bag with me and I take what is set out in the room. Every few months, I drop off a large box with them. From my conversations with the center, they repackage these into mini "kits" for the seniors and low-income families they serve.

[Michael El]

Originally Posted by pedropescador

I have been told that hotels throw out all the shampoo bottles etc after each guest since they are not tamper proof. Don't know if that is true, but it makes sense ( well, sort of)

I really hope they don't toss out the unused bottles. What a hit to the landfills.

Originally Posted by jake66

I doubt many people tamper with shampoo.

Oh don't give the TSA any new ideas of how they could "protect" us.

[SANDIEGO]

I have read about both ways, that some hotels take the half-used bottles and refill them, and that some hotels throw out all opened bottles, for hygiene reasons.

I'm not sure which way I like better, using a bottle that's been used by 30 people before me, or all the waste from throwing out so many tiny bottles.

I think I'm leaning toward re-use.

[Ancien Maestro]

Originally Posted by SANDIEGO

I have read about both ways, that some hotels take the half-used bottles and refill them, and that some hotels throw out all opened bottles, for hygiene reasons.

I'm not sure which way I like better, using a bottle that's been used by 30 people before me, or all the waste from throwing out so many tiny bottles.

I think I'm leaning toward re-use.

I can't believe that some hotels take half used bottles and refill them.. which hotel chains are these.. I would like to make a point to avoid them..

[User Name]

Originally Posted by SANDIEGO

I have read about both ways, that some hotels take the half-used bottles and refill them, and that some hotels throw out all opened bottles, for hygiene reasons.

Originally Posted by Ancien Maestro

I can't believe that some hotels take half used bottles and refill them.. which hotel chains are these.. I would like to make a point to avoid them..

Can't be any of the normal big chains - that's just a ridiculous idea if you think about what it would take to do this.

[Ancien Maestro]

Originally Posted by User Name

Can't be any of the normal big chains - that's just a ridiculous idea if you think about what it would take to do this.

That would be amazing to see how any major hotel chain could justify this?

Wow.. what will they think of next?