NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) – A law banning small shampoo bottles from hotels will start next year after a bill passed in the New York Assembly to reduce waste.
Beginning in January 2025, hotels in New York with more than 50 rooms will be prohibited from providing small toiletry bottles under 12 ounces in an attempt to reduce waste.
The law, introduced by former state Sen. Todd Kaminsky in 2019, was signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul in 2021 as part of a package of environmental protection legislation.
According to the act, the aim is to "amend the environmental conservation law and the state finance law" by "restricting hotels from making available to hotel guests small plastic bottle hospitality personal care products."
"Hospitality personal care product" means a product provided by a hotel meant for use on the body for cleansing, conditioning, or moisturizing, according to the act. This includes shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and liquid soap.
The act describes a "small plastic bottle" as a plastic container with less than a twelve-ounce capacity that is intended to be non-reusable by the end user.
For hotels with fewer than 50 rooms, the law goes into effect in 2026.
If a hotel breaks the rule, it will first get a warning notice explaining what needs to be fixed within 30 days.
If the hotel doesn’t correct the issue, it will then have to pay a $250 fine for the first violation and $500 for any further violations in the same year.