Bhubaneswar: At a time when most teenagers are busy taking selfies and spending time on social media, two young girls, Samaira Agarwal and Aarna Agarwal, embarked on an inspiring entrepreneurial journey by launching their startup, Shuddhi, focused on recycling soaps.

The teenagers collect used and discarded soap bars from hotels and other establishments in the hospitality industry. These soaps are then processed, disinfected, and made reusable.

The recycled soap bars are distributed among underprivileged communities in villages and tribal areas, especially to children, with the aim of promoting better health and hygiene practices.

To support their initiative, the duo from Rourkela approached major hospitality chains across Odisha to procure used soaps.

Speaking about the inspiration behind the venture, Samaira said the idea came to her while washing her hands in a hotel room.

“I noticed that the housekeeping staff replaced all the used soaps every day with new ones. In this way, millions of semi-used and unused soaps are discarded daily. I researched further and learned that these soaps can be melted, disinfected, and made reusable. Any bacteria present in the soap bars are eliminated during the heating process, making them as good as new,” she said.