California is a leader when it comes to statewide plastic bans. First, they banned plastic bags, then single-use plastic straws, and now they’re making history as the first state to pass legislation banning mini toiletry bottles from hotels.
The ban will go into effect on January 1, 2023 for hotels with 50 rooms, or more. Smaller hotels, with less than 50 rooms, will be given until January 1, 2024 to introduce changes. The ban will make it illegal for hotels to provide guests with small bottles of shampoo, conditioner, body wash, lotion and the like. California is encouraging hotels to replace single-use plastic bottles with larger, multi-use bottles.
Those that violate the law could receive a $500 penalty for the first violation and $2,000 for any violations thereafter.
Earlier this year, the IHG hotel group, including hotels like Holiday Inn and InterContinental, became the first in the hospitality industry to eliminate bathroom miniatures. They estimated the change will eliminate an average of 200 million bathroom miniatures that IHG uses every year.
Not long after, Marriott, the world’s largest hotel chain, announced their plans to eliminate mini toiletry bottles at all 7,000 of its international locations by December 2020.