About Soap Cycling?
Soap Cycling is a WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) social enterprise operating in Hong Kong, Singapore, the Philippines, and China. They aid disadvantaged communities across Asia by combining empowerment programmes with corporate team-building events. As Asia’s first soap recycling organisation, they collect lightly used soap and bottled amenities from hotels that would otherwise be discarded. These items are recycled and distributed to those in greatest need
The Challenge: Finding Efficient and Effective Ways to Extract Soap from the Bottles
Soap Cycling is facing a challenge in extracting soap from the bottles. The current method is not only time-consuming but also labour-intensive. The traditional approach involves using a plastic board with holes. The process requires placing a bottle over a hole and waiting for the soap to drip out. However, this method is inefficient and does not effectively streamline the recycling process.
Our Solution
The initial concept for our solution was to utilise vibration to facilitate the extraction of soap from the bottles. We decided to start small and repurposed a sports massage gun to act as our vibrating mechanism. We secured the soap bottle to the massage gun by using tape and found that the results were promising. The vibration from the massage gun seemed could enhance the flow of soap from the bottle, but as we moved forward, we realised that we needed to address soap bottles of different size and shape. The prototype of fixing the bottle to the vibrator was not versatile enough to accommodate these differences.
During the development of Prototype 2.0, we utilised 3D printing to create a custom adapter for mounting the soap bottle to the sports massage gun during the extraction process. Initially, we used velcro to secure the soap bottle to the 3D-printed adapter. However, the bottles tended to slip off easily due to their varying sizes and shapes. To resolve this, we replaced the velcro with a rope strap system that can be easily locked and unlocked. This adjustment offered a more versatile and secure method for holding the bottles during soap extraction.
Following the development of Prototype 2.0, we brought our tool to Soap Cycling and had their helpers test it out. The tool worked as intended, facilitating the soap extraction process. However, we observed that the helpers became extremely tired from holding the massage gun for long periods. This led to a humorous remark that after using the massage gun to collect soap, the helpers would need it to massage their tired arms. To address this, we made a major modification for version 3.0 by designing a structure to hold the massage guns, freeing the helpers from holding them and allowing them to focus on changing the bottles, which reduced their fatigue and improved overall efficiency.
In version 4 of our prototype, we significantly enhanced the structure and better secured the massage gun. This adjustment provided greater stability and efficiency. However, over extended use, we faced a new challenge: the 3D-printed components were prone to breaking, meaning we had to keep a significant supply of spare parts. This issue highlighted the need for future improvements. We now aim to address the durability and longevity of the device, possibly exploring alternative materials or manufacturing methods. This is an essential next step in our ongoing effort to perfect this tool.
Summary
Moreover, we have begun to see the tangible impact of our innovation as the tool has significantly accelerated Soap Cycling’s soap extraction process, enabling them to scale up operations and reach more communities in need. This outcome is not only rewarding but also fuels our motivation to continue developing impactful innovation projects. We are excited to design and implement more ingenious solutions to tackle real-world challenges.
