I have to admit I've previewed some pretty impressive collections of mini hotel amenities in the homes of travelers. Guest bathrooms are often accessorized with baskets filled with branded hotel toiletries for me to admire and use.
As a business traveler, I understand they are an effortless memory/gift to bring home. And an unassuming way to showcase trips to top resorts.
However as plastic waste covers our Earth these minis are now viewed as wasteful, even crass. And, fortunately will soon be harder to collect.
Several laws are being passed around the world that will outlaw mini plastic toiletries. Below is a summary of some of the most notable changes in the hospitality industry.
- Effective in 2023 California will ban hotels from giving guests plastic bottles filled with shampoo, conditioner or soap.
- December 2020 Marriott International plans to stop using small plastic bottles in its hotel rooms. Eliminating 500 million small bottles a year will save 1.7 million pounds of plastic.
- In 2021 - IHG, which owns Holiday Inn, Kimpton and other brands, will eliminate about 200 million small bottles.
- 2019 - Walt Disney Co. said it would get rid of small plastic shampoo bottles at its resorts and cruise ships. Plastics in hotel rooms and cruise ship cabins will be reduced by an estimated 80% with the elimination of single-use bottles of shampoo, conditioner, hand lotion and more. Disney resorts and cruise ships will transition to refillable bottles of these products.
Don't just toss your collection, let them give joy to the less fortunate. You can donate to your local homeless shelter, domestic violence shelter, food pantry, or community non-profit that aids families with a medical needs like the Ronald McDonald House that provides donated toiletries to its guest to use when taking a shower.