Small, single-use toiletries provided by hotels will be banned in New York starting in 2025, as the state follows the lead of California and Washington in the conservationist-minded crackdown on tiny bottles.
The New York ban will apply to hotels with more than 50 rooms starting in 2025 and expand to hotels with less than 50 rooms in 2026, according to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
The measure specifically targets plastic bottles that are 12 ounces or less and contain liquid soap, conditioner, shampoo or lotion.
Hotels that violate the ban will first receive a warning. If the violation is not rectified within 30 days, a $250 fine will be levied. Any further offenses within the same calendar year will result in a $500 fine for each infraction. The fine money will go towards the state’s Environmental Protection Fund.
California’s ban is already in effect, while Washington’s will not take effect until 2027. The New York law was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, in 2021 but enforcement was delayed until 2025 and 2026 to give hotels time to use up small bottles they already had.
Some hotel chains, reacting to existing laws and anticipating further restrictions, have already started to phase out single-use toiletries nationwide. Marriott, for example, has switched to larger bottles with pumps.
By the end of 2023, 95% of Marriott properties had adopted the pump bottles. A spokesperson for the company told the New York Times that “Once fully implemented, we have estimated that the switch prevents around 500 million small bath amenity bottles from going to landfills each year.”
Hilton completed their toiletry transition in 2023.
“As of 2023, Hilton properties were required to transition to full-size shampoo, conditioner, and soap amenities, eliminating single-use miniature bottles and reducing disposed bars of soap,” a company spokesperson told Fox Business.
Editor’s note: CIVILIAN Hotel, pictured, has never used single-use toiletries. They have used large format, reusable Public Goods products since opening.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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