What if the solution to our plastic waste problem was hiding in your bathroom cabinet? Scientists have found a surprising way to turn trash into treasure—by creating recycled plastic soap. Yes, the same material polluting oceans and clogging landfills could one day help you scrub up in the shower.
Right now, only about nine percent of the world’s plastic gets recycled, largely because it’s too contaminated or expensive to process. However, chemist Guoliang “Greg” Liu and his team at Virginia Tech have developed a new technique that could change that very soon.
By heating polyethylene and polypropylene—the plastics used in everything from grocery bags to food containers—they’ve figured out how to break the material down into oil. Oil that is almost identical to a key ingredient used in most soaps. This could act as the basis for a new type of recycled plastic soap.
Liu says that it is a molecule we use almost every day and that rather than letting plastic waste sit in landfills for centuries, we could repurpose it into something useful—and clean up more than just the planet in the process.
Traditional recycling struggles to compete with the cost of producing new plastic. There’s simply no economic incentive for industries to invest in large-scale recycling. However, by transforming plastic into soap ingredients—a product in constant demand—Liu’s method offers a lucrative and practical solution.
Even better, the researchers involved say that the technique is eco-friendly. Unlike advanced recycling methods that often emit harmful pollution, Liu’s approach minimizes environmental impact. It’s a win-win for sustainability.
The possibilities for recycled plastic soap are vast. This could open the door for a future where detergent bottles aren’t just recyclable—but the detergent itself is made from recycled materials that, ironically, clean your dishes or clothes. Liu’s team is now looking to partner with investors and the detergent industry to scale up their invention and prove it can be profitable.
Turning plastic waste into soap won’t solve the entire plastic crisis, of course, but it’s an interesting step in the right direction. The next time you lather up, think about where your soap came from. If Liu’s vision becomes a reality, it might just have started as a plastic bottle—and ended up helping you start or end your day squeaky clean.
