California bans small, plastic shampoo bottles

Small plastic shampoo bottles will soon become a thing of the past in California hotel rooms. Come 2023, they’ll be banned.

Governor Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday he’d signed a law banning hotels from giving guests those tiny plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. Hotels will have to install refillable dispensers instead.

The new law applies to the more than 515-thousand hotel rooms in California. It takes effect in 2023 for hotels with more than 50 rooms, and in 2024 for those with less than 50 rooms.

Violators face fines of $500 for a first offense, and $2,000 for the second.

Many major hotel chains have already adopted a similar policy for single-use plastics. Marriott International announced earlier this year it plans to eliminate the little bottles. Walt Disney Co. is also phasing them out at its resorts and on its cruise ships.

The Personal Care Products Council opposed the legislation. It argued it would hurt personal care product manufacturers

KYMA 2019