New Law Prohibits Illinois Hotels From Providing Plastic Toiletry Bottles

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): By next summer, Illinois hotels will no longer be allowed to offer small plastic toiletry bottles under a new law that goes into effect July 1.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the “Small Single-Use Plastic Bottle Act” into law this summer, which  beginning July 1, 2025 requires hotels with 50 or more rooms to eliminate the use of small, single-use plastic bottles containing personal care products in individual rooms and public bathrooms. Hotels with under 50 rooms will have to comply with the act by Jan. 1, 2026.

The law clarifies that personal items include “shampoo, hair conditioner and bath soap used on a human body in a bath or shower.” Additionally, the law defines single-use plastic products as containers with less than a six-ounce capacity that is not intended to be reused. 

Beth Davis-Berg, associate director for the School of Design and biology professor, said she was surprised Illinois hadn’t already instituted a ban.

“I don’t think we’re ever going to get entirely away from single-use plastics, but I like the fact that, you know, if there are things that sort of corporations can do that limit single-use plastics, we all benefit without it being something we have to pay for,” Davis-Berg said. 

Hotels will be expected to replace the single-use plastic bottles with refillable containers. Other states like Washington, New York and California have implemented similar laws.

This trend reflects a nationwide push for sustainability in the hospitality industry, something that Spencer Hellert, associate professor in the Science and Mathematics Department, said is a step in the right direction for Illinois. 

“I think it’s great, especially provided that they do reuse them as much as possible. Instead of just being able to throw them away like they did the plastic ones,”  Hellert said. “They still could be plastic, but as long as they do reuse them, that’s great. Plastic as a whole is a humongous problem.”

Hotels that violate the law will receive a written warning for the first offense, while a second or any subsequent offenses may incur a fine of up to $1,500. 

Sam Arbustini, a front desk agent at the Hilton Chicago on South Michigan Avenue, hands out plastic water bottles primarily at the front desk. Arbustini said that the hotel could instead put the bottles in rooms and encourage guests to refill their bottles at the provided stations. 

She said having reusable toiletry items will help cut down on the plastic waste but the ban may be tough to implement.

“I think it would be a good concept. The only thing that I would think about is that we’re such a big property, so it’s just like the inventory and everything like that,” Arbustini said.

Ashley Bell, a first-year musical theater major at Columbia, said the new change is great.  

“Our society wastes so many materials when we have the option to use materials that are much better for the planet,” Bell said. “We only have one Earth. We have to start taking care of it.” 

As for students, Davis-Berg emphasized that the goal is to be “better” not perfect when it comes to individual sustainability efforts. Like Davis-Berg, Neziah Crump, senior fine and studio art major, sees the benefits of the act. 

The law is a “smart move, especially with all the talk about plastic waste and how it’s hurting the environment,” Crump said. “Switching from those little travel-size bottles to refillable ones just makes sense.” 

Crump said that many hotels already use refillable dispensers for hand soap, so extending this practice to additional products could reduce the amount of plastic waste generated.

“It pushes everyone toward being more eco-friendly, which is something people and businesses are more conscious of nowadays,” Crump said. “As long as the refillable options are kept clean and easy to use, I see it as a win for both the environment and the hotel industry.” 

 Courtesy: www.columbiachronicle.com