Hawaii is looking to ban single-use toiletries

The Hawaii legislature is considering a bill to ban small toiletries in hotels to help with the growing problem of plastic pollution in the state. The bill, known as HB1645, has already passed its first reading and gone through the House's Energy and Environmental Protection and Labor and Tourism committees.

According to KHON, a local TV station in Hawaii, "the bill would prohibit hotels with 50 or more beds from handing out personal care products in small plastic bottles in 2024 and 2025." Hundreds of thousands of the little bottles are used by a single hotel each month, according to research.

The plastic bottles are not biodegradable and they greatly contribute to the island's pollution problem.

Related: Maui ditches booster requirements

"As a notable tourism destination here in Hawaii, we also really have an opportunity to kind of put our money where our mouth is when we talk about how important the environment is and how Hawaii wants to engage and more sustainable tourism," Rep. Nicole Lowen (D) chair of the House Energy & Environmental Protection committee and one of the bill's sponsors said.

Related: Guide on visiting Hawaii now that it has reopened

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This follows an overall hotel industry trend. In 2019, some major hotel chains including Hyatt, IHG and Marriott announced plans to phase out single-use toiletries The plan was to replace the miniature bottles of shampoo, conditioner and lotion with large pump-style dispensers. But those plans have been altered by the pandemic, which created many changes in how hotels conduct business.