New York Has Passed Legislation That Will Eliminate Millions Of Single-Use Plastic Toiletry Bottles From Hotels

The State of New York passed legislation that will eliminate millions of single-use plastic toiletry bottles from hotels, becoming the second state in the nation to enact such ban. The S543 and A5082 bills prohibit hotels and motels from providing single-use plastic toiletry bottles smaller than 12 ounces in guest rooms. The hotels are expected to switch to larger, re-fillable dispensers, thereby reducing both the amount of unused liquids discarded and the amount of plastic waste generated during every guest visit. The new laws would take effect January 1, 2024 for all hotels with more than 50 rooms and one year later for all smaller hotels. 

The following is a statement by Eric A. Goldstein, Senior Attorney and New York City Environment Director at NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council):

“Reducing single-use plastics is vital in the fight against the climate crisis—plastic is a major source of carbon emissions and a financial anchor to the fossil fuel industry. This new law tackles the ever-growing problem associated with plastic waste and will prevent tens of millions of plastic bottles from becoming a waste burden in New York every year. The Kaminsky-Englebright toiletry bottle ban legislation is a step forward in its own right and emblematic of emerging efforts to break away from all throw-away plastics made from fossil-fuels.”

To learn more, see this blog by Eric Goldstein.

NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Since 1970, our lawyers, scientists, and other environmental specialists have worked to protect the world's natural resources, public health, and the environment. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, and Beijing. Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.