Toiletries found in a hotel bathroom.

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At a Glance

A proposed California bill would make complimentary hotel shampoo bottles obsolete.The bill targets single-use small plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner and lotion.The bottles wind up in the trash and contribute to the ever-growing scourge of plastic waste.

California lawmakers have proposed a bill that would ban those little complimentary shampoo bottles offered by hotels and other lodging establishments.

Introduced in February by Assemblymen Ash Kalra and Mark Stone, , if passed, will become effective in January 2023.

The bill targets single-use small plastic bottles of shampoo, conditioner and lotion that typically wind up in the trash and contribute to the ever-growing scourge of plastic waste.

According to a study by Geyer, of plastic was produced in 2017. About 40 percent of that production was for single-use packaging.

"By not offering small bottles of personal care products, hotels, motel and other lodging establishments can promote a more sustainable business and potentially reduce operating costs," Kalra said as part of an analysis on the bill. "AB 1162 will take meaningful action to curb single-use plastic consumption in the lodging industry and increase consumer awareness."

The types of lodging facilities included in the bill are hotels, motels, resorts, bed and breakfast inns or vacation rentals. They do not include hospitals, nursing homes, residential retirement communities, prisons, jails, homeless shelters, boarding schools, worker housing, long-term rentals or hosted rentals.

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If it is voted into law, any establishment in noncompliance could be fined $500 for a first violation and $2,000 for a second or subsequent violation. Noncompliance would also "authorize the Attorney General or a district attorney, county counsel or city attorney to bring an action to impose the civil penalty."

Some major hotels have already announced plans to eliminate plastics in their establishments. Marriott announced last year that is would of shampoos with in-shower dispensers at 1,500 hotels in North America. It also said it would eliminate plastic straws.

The initiative is expected to save an average of for a 140-room hotel, which amounts to about 23,000 plastic bottles, Marriott told Lodging Magazine.

A similar in California's Santa Cruz County last year, KSBW reported.