New York Proposes Ban on Those Tiny Hotel Bottles of Shampoo

New York State is proposing a ban on the tiny bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and body wash you find in hotels, in an effort to cut back on plastic waste.

The ban is being proposed by Long Island State Senator Todd Kaminsky. In a statement about the proposed law, Kaminsky cited estimates that hotels in New York City alone dispose of an estimated 27 million plastic toiletry bottles every year.

That doesn't include the millions of bottles being hoarded in bathrooms across the state, including ours.

You'd think hotels would be up in arms about this, but many are already on board. "Marriott International, the world's largest hotel chain, announced plans last month to eliminate small plastic toiletry bottles worldwide by December 2020. Earlier this year IHG, which owns Holiday Inn, Kimpton and other brands, said it would eliminate about 200 million tiny bottles each year by 2021," according to NBC News.

The ban would mean that hotels will either have to provide full-sized bottles, or package small sizes in something other than plastic. (A conditioner ketchup packet, anyone?)

Are you one of the people that brings the little bottles home from trips and then keeps them, planning to either donate them to a shelter (which is what I always hear) or use them later?