For road-weary travelers, checking into a luxurious room with plenty of amenities can recharge the soul. There are items every hotel guest comes to expect: fluffy bathrobes, big TVs with cable, wireless internet, and tiny bottles of premium toiletries like shampoo, body lotion, and soap. A new bill in California, if passed and signed, would eliminate those bottles of toiletries from hotel rooms as the Golden State continues its war on single-use plastic.
AB1162, introduced by assembly member Ash Kalra who represents parts of eastern San Jose, is currently working its way through the legislature and would ban hotels and other lodging establishments from offering toiletries in plastic bottles less than 12oz while imposing fines upon innkeepers that violate the law.
If passed, hoteliers will have until January 1st, 2023 to replace the small bottles or face a daily fine of $500 after the first violation, not to exceed $2,000 annually, in addition to civil penalties equaling $500 for the first day and $2,000 for each subsequent transgression.
