New Illinois Law Bans Free Single-Use Plastic Bottles In Hotel Rooms To Cut Waste

EVANSTON, IL — Illinois has become the first state in the Great Lakes region to mandate the reduction of single-use plastic bottles in hotels.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker last month signed the Small Single-Use Plastic Bottle Act, which requires hotels with 50 or more rooms to eliminate the use of small plastic bottles for personal care products by July 1, 2025. By Jan. 1, 2026, all hotels in Illinois, must comply with the new law, regardless of size.

Supporters say it will curb plastic waste into Lake Michigan; opponents contend it was intended to provide cover to hoteliers who were already phasing out the use of the small bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body lotion.

Environmental protection advocates groups, including the Alliance for the Great Lakes, have praised the legislation, citing the harm plastic pollution causes to the lake’s ecosystem. Microplastics, which result from the breakdown of larger plastic items, have been found in drinking water and fish in the Great Lakes.

The Small Single-Use Plastic Bottle Act, or Senate Bill 2960, was the result of a partnership between environmental groups and the hotel industry, according to state Sen. Laura Fine, the Glenview Democrat who sponsored the bill.

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Fine described Illinois as a national leader when it comes to environmental protections.

“According to researchers, by 2050, plastic could outweigh all fish in the oceans,” Fine said in a statement following the bill's Senate passage.

“Personal products available in plastic bottles are common in hotels and pose immediate risk to our environment once they are thrown away," she added. "This bill puts our state on the path to being part of a solution by reducing plastic pollution.”

The act allows hotels to offer personal care products in bulk dispensers or larger, reusable containers. If violated, hotels will first receive a written warning, with subsequent violations risking fines of up to $1,500.

California, New York and Washington state have similar laws in place.

Andrea Densham, senior policy advisor for the Alliance for the Great Lakes, said the new law was a big step in the right direction.

"We must keep advancing stronger laws to reduce plastic production, fix the broken recycling system, move manufacturers and retailers toward using less unnecessary plastic, and shift to reusable alternatives," Densham said. "Now is the time to take the next step by requiring that all washing machines filter out microfibers and banning the use of polystyrene foam containers that pollute our waterways.”

The final version of S.B. 2960 was approved in May by the House by a vote of 73-40 and by a vote of 42-17 in the Senate. Lawmakers sent the bill to Pritzker office in June, and the governor signed it Aug. 9.

Sen. Andrew Chesney, a Freeport Republican, was one of the votes against the bill. In a column on his website last month, he said the Illinois Hotel & Lodging Association had partnered with environmentalists to lobby for it.

"Many hotels have already moved away from the small bottles as a way to save money. The decision was made internally and without legislative assistance. The only reason to involve the legislature is to provide cover when patrons complain about ridiculous state mandates that limit consumer choice," Chesney said.

"Nevertheless, the Association asked for a legislative mandate and received it through Senate Bill 2960. And now, the same group that lobbied for the change will say 'Illinois law prohibited our ability to provide these products' when patrons ask why they no longer have access to popular single-use bottles," he added. "The Association limited consumer choice and used a fake vehicle to make it happen. It was clearly about their financial bottom line and had nothing to do with the environment."

The bill includes provisions limiting local governments from coming up with contradictory single-use plastic bottle regulations, while also allowing for hotels to continue providing free bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body wash at the front desk.

"A hotel may provide personal care products in small, single-use plastic bottles to a person at no cost, upon request," the law says, "at a place other than a sleeping room accommodation, a space within the sleeping room accommodation, or a space within bathrooms shared by the public or guests."