New Illinois Law Forbids Your ‘Souvenirs’ From Hotels

If you like to take a few things with you from hotel stays, you won't have the option to do that in Illinois.

Don't lie, at some point we've all taken the mini shampoos, conditioners, lotions, or whatever miniature toiletries are in hotels we stay in.

NBC Chicago reports that a new law in Illinois is squishing that practice.

The law (the Small Single-Use Plastic Bottle Act) will ban hotels from providing single-use plastic bottles that contain something like shampoo or body wash to hotel guests.

It's not only impacting hotels though. The law applies to all guest rooms and public restrooms that contain the little personal care products, specifically bottles that are smaller than 6 ounces and are not intended to be used again.

Now, the hotel can give a guest the mini shampoos and stuff if the guest asks for it. But it still has to be in places "other than a sleeping room or public hotel bathroom".

Any hotel that violates the new law will get a written warning as the first citation then a "civil penalty" of up to $500 for every violation after that.

The new law goes into effect next summer. For hotels with 50 rooms or more, the new law takes effect on July 1st, 2025. For hotels with less than 50 rooms, it is January 1st, 2026.

Illinois isn't the first state to pass such a law. Several states have, including New York. Hotel chains are stepping in to try to reduce their plastic waste footprint. Marriott announced in 2019 that they were phasing out the tiny single-use bottles.