Where do you dispose of your oil after cooking? While trace amounts of oil going down the drain when washing your dishes is relatively harmless, larger volumes may eventually build solid deposits upon gradual emulsification and start to clog drainage systems or end up contaminating natural bodies of water. Then what should you do with your used cooking oil? Well, in collaboration with Entre Lab’s subsidiary, From Earth to Earth, the Community Outreach Division successfully held a workshop teaching how to convert used cooking oil into bars of scented soap on 5 December 2023.
On that eventful night, 45 participants gathered around our campus lobby with their own bottles of used oil, ready to learn and have fun together. The program started with an educational presentation from the committee, in which the background, mechanism, and steps of this project were introduced. After a short ice-breaking game, participants were then separated into different groups, each equipped with one experienced mentor to guide them in the soap-making process. With the room smelling like fragrant jasmine, the molded bars of soap were finally lined up to be dried for at least one month.
Not only did this project allow students to bond and get to know each other better, it definitely taught them a truly valuable skill that can be used in their day-to-day lives. In hopes of achieving SDGs 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and 14 (Life Below Water), we really believe that all of us can continue this chain of positive impact for a better Earth.