(WGN) — One of Illinois’ more interesting laws to go on the books in recent years takes effect Tuesday.
The law banning single-use plastic bottles in the state’s hotels, Senate Bill 2960, is set to go into effect in Illinois on July 1.
So, does this mean you’ll never find one of those little plastic shampoo bottles in an Illinois hotel ever again?
Well, not just yet.
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The Small Plastic Bottle Act, signed by Gov. J.B. Pritzker in August, stipulates that Illinois hotels with 50 rooms or more cannot provide single-use plastic bottles containing personal care products in guest rooms beginning Tuesday. Hotels with less than 50 rooms must comply with the new law beginning Jan. 1, 2026.
The law provides for enforcement by a State’s Attorney or municipal attorney. A hotel in violation of the law would receive a written warning for a first offense and a fine of up to $1,500 for subsequent offenses.
However, this doesn’t mean an Illinois hotel guest will be totally unable to get a small plastic shampoo bottle, for example. The law says a hotel may provide personal care products in small, single-use plastic bottles to a person at no cost, upon request, at a location other than a guest room.
In other words, according to the law, if you go to the front desk and ask for a little shampoo bottle, you can still get one.
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The reason for the Small Plastic Bottle Act is essentially to curb waste.
When it was signed into law, Illinois Policy pointed out that Washington, New York and California had already enacted similar laws. And if you’ve traveled even a little in recent years, you’ve probably noticed many hotels have already put refillable shampoo dispensers in their showers, eliminating the need to stock them with small plastic bottles.
But, no, you can’t take the dispensers with you.
So if you travel around Illinois with the intent of accumulating small plastic shampoo bottles from the state’s hotels, well, your jig is pretty much up.
