California bans hotels from using tiny plastic bottles

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California has banned hotels from giving guests small, plastic shampoo bottles.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday he had signed a law banning hotels from providing guests small plastic bottles with shampoo, conditioner or soap. Hotels would have to install reusable dispensers instead.

The ban will apply to the more than 515,000 hotel rooms in California, the nation’s most populous state. Marriott International announced earlier this year it would eliminate small plastic bottles in its hotels by December 2020.

The city of Santa Cruz had already passed such a ban, scheduled to take effect Dec. 31, 2020.

The Personal Care Products Council opposed the ban, saying it would hurt personal care product manufacturers.

The law takes effect in 2023 for hotels with more than 50 rooms and 2024 for hotels with 50 rooms or less.