Governor Gavin Newsom has signed into law a disposable toiletry bottle ban for hotels of more than 50 rooms.
It will be extended to all hotels the following year. The law imposes a $500 fine for a first offence and a $2,000 fine for each additional offence.
“Single-use products like those tiny plastic bottles commonly provided in hotels rooms represent a sizeable amount of waste that can be easily eliminated through more cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternatives,” said assemblyman Ash Kalra, who sponsored the bill.
California is the first to enact a state-wide ban, Kalra said: “We have reached a tipping point for action and more needs to be done that transitions consumers and businesses towards more sustainable alternatives.”
The law is supported by the California Hotel and Lodging Association. The hotel industry has already announced its own measures to curb unnecessary plastic waste.
Among these are Marriott International and IHG which have pledged to remove all small plastic bottles from hotel rooms over the next two years.
