Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan donated 2,000 unused shampoo and body wash to the CNMI Department of Corrections. 

Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan General Manager Clayton Darlington said that the hotel aims to deliver a more sustainable business by 2030. 

"The Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan aims to have a positive impact on our local communities and building a diverse culture to reduce energy use and cutting waste. This is the reason why partnering up with the Department of Corrections is directly in line with our dedication to assist the community at large whenever the opportunity arises," he added.  "As the resort gravitates away from single-use amenities, The Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan was fortunate to find an agency that would be able to utilize and repurpose our amenity surplus."

CNMI Department of Corrections Commissioner Anthony Torres said, " I want to thank Crowne Plaza Resort Saipan for their generous donation of approximately 2,000 unused shampoo/body wash for our residents."

He explained that the empty bottles and other plastic bottles in the facility will be prepared for recycling in partnership with the Mariana Islands Nature Alliance. He said, "This is the beginning of NMI DOC’s recycling and waste management program."

MINA executive director Roberta Guerrero told KUAM News that the collaboration is in the early stages and their plastic recycling program has reached capacity as they've run out of storage space and do not have enough volunteers. The partnership with DOC will fill the gaps and train participating inmates in the process.

She said, "This community recycles plastic program was initiated to get the community involved because that is the whole purpose of it so we can keep plastics out of the ocean, keep as many plastics as we can out of the landfill...We hope to begin circular economy."