In the heart of Rio de Janeiro’s Rocinha favela, the largest in Brazil, a chance discovery led a resident creating a project to turn improperly discarded cooking oil into sustainable soaps and cleaning products.

Founded in 2020, the Óleo no Ponto initiative acquainted favela residents with environmental stewardship by creating eco-friendly detergents such as soap bars and dishwashing paste.

by André Aram
news.mongabay.com/2025/10/in-r…

#news #conservation #Brazil #ecofriendly #environment

In Rio’s largest favela, used oil becomes soap and social change

Rocinha, in the south of Rio de Janeiro, is, according to official data, the largest of Brazil’s more than 12,000 favelas, or inner-city communities.

^{Xavier Bartaburu (Conservation news)}