California, USA

California Assembly Bill 1162, authored by Assemblymember Ash Kalra and signed by Governor Gavin Newsom in October 2019, prohibits lodging establishments — hotels, motels, resorts, bed-and-breakfasts and vacation rentals — from providing personal-care products (shampoo, conditioner, soap, lotion) in single-use plastic bottles smaller than six ounces in rooms or shared bathrooms. It took effect on 1 January 2023 for establishments with more than 50 rooms and on 1 January 2024 for smaller ones. Establishments instead use bulk/refillable dispensers. Enforcement is by written warning for a first violation, then fines (reported around $500 per day for subsequent violations). The bill was modelled on an earlier Santa Cruz ordinance, and New York State enacted a comparable measure effective January 2025. This case supports the hotels-first solution: it shows the hotel/lodging segment is where single-use personal-care packaging is being eliminated first, both by regulation and by industry pre-emption, making it the natural entry market for a refill system. The Personal Care Products Council opposed the bill, indicating incumbent resistance.