A law banning all single-use plastic toiletries in New York hotels has passed after a two-yr Senate battle.
Hotels in New York will legally have to ditch all single-use plastic toiletries by 2024, giving them time to use up existing stock
The laws put strict guidelines on the usage of plastic-bottled toiletries under 12 ounces. For scale, the average hotel usually offers bottles that measure between 1 and 2 ounces.
Hotels will have to make the switch to refillable dispensers and environmentally-friendly containers for all body and hair care products. Smaller businesses with under 50 rooms will be given an extra yr to get ready for the change.
Democrat Senator Todd Kaminsky introduced the bill two years ago, after receiving corporate backing from the Hotel Association of New York City and the New York State Hospitality & Tourism Association (NYSHTA).
“This law will assist ensure that the industry has a smooth transition to bulk use or non-plastic products by giving hotels time to exhaust their current stock of products and make decisions that are environmentally friendly, value- effective and aesthetically pleasing for guests,” says Mark Dorr, President of NYSHTA, who helped draft the invoice.
In 2019, California lawmakers introduced plans for similar measures, with a ban placed on giant hotels in 2023 and smaller lodgings in 2024.
Hotels found to be violating these guidelines will be subjected to fines of $500 (€410) and $2,000 (€1,640) for every recurring breach. It’s expected that similar deterrents will take shape in New York state.
An investigation from The Independent argues that the pandemic has sent the hospitality industry’s journey to eliminating single-use plastics backward. A return to single-use products within the name of hygiene can and will have dire consequences for the environment if we don’t legislate worldwide. This doesn’t just pertain to toiletries – it includes cutlery, condiments, and more.
Over 270 billion kilos of plastic are produced every year, half of which is used to design single-use items such as shopping bags, cups, and straws. The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that at least 7 billion kilos end up in our oceans, disrupting ecosystems and polluting natural environments.
Multinational hotel chains like Marriott International are already making the switch after the company conceded that it sends 500 million toiletries to landfills every year. Pump dispensers can now be discovered at over 1,000 of its hotels, a seventh of their worldwide portfolio.
Different companies such as InterContinental, Hilton, and Walt Disney have made similar commitments, They will now have to meet these state targets, regardless of what they aspire to do elsewhere.
Historic patterns have emerged when many chains fail to meet vague targets that are seldom fulfilled, like InterContinental’s pledge to eliminate all bathroom miniatures by this yr.
For their New York and Californian hotels, the countdown is on.
