Sarah Enemark of Contra Costa County says she doesn’t travel often, but when she does, she typically forgets to bring her own toiletries. So on a recent weekend, chatting outside the bustling lobby of the Hyatt Regency in Sacramento, she sang the praises of those tiny hotel room amenities that so many travelers take for granted.
“It’s nice that the hotels care enough about me to give me shampoo, conditioner and body lotion,” she said.
Those little extras, however, have become the next target in California’s effort to cut down on single-use plastic products. A bill working its way through the state Legislature would force hotels across California to rid rooms of the miniature toiletries.
Assembly Bill 1162 would ban hotels, resorts and other vacation rentals from doling out shampoos, creams and other amenities in small plastic bottles by Jan. 1, 2023. Rentals would have to replace the sample-sized products with dispensers or bottles larger than 12 ounces.
“We are addicted to plastic as a society,” said Democratic Assemblyman Ash Kalra of San Jose, the bill’s author. “I do hope my colleagues view this as a commonsense piece of legislation that once again puts us forward as leaders when it comes to trying to reduce our plastic consumption and leaders on issues of the environment.”