The big news out of California this past week is Assembly Bill No. 1162, legislation that would eliminate single-use plastic bottles used to provide amenities to California lodging guests by January 1, 2023. It was introduced by California Assembly Member Ash Kalra and coauthored by Assembly Member Mark Stone. The next hearing date for the bill is April 23. While I applaud this groundbreaking legislation—a bold step to reduce the mountains of plastic amenity bottle waste that ends up in landfills, oceans and elsewhere—I am baffled by our industry’s response to it.
First, let’s assume your property is in California and you know this bill is going to become law. How much time would you need to transition away from single-use plastic bottles to dispensers? I would like to know. It couldn’t be too long, could it? The authors of the bill believe you would need about three years. The California Hotel & Lodging Association (CHLA)? They believe you will need up to five or six years! You read that right. We in the lodging industry are extremely slow to catch on to sustainability, aren’t we?
In a letter to Mark Stone, CHLA said it would support the bill if amended to account for certain initial and ongoing operational challenges. Here is what CHLA said:
“Lastly, we request an implementation date of January 1, 2025 for all lodging establishments with 50 rooms or more and January 1, 2026 for all lodging establishments, to provide hotels with enough time to exhaust their current stock of shampoo, conditioner and liquid soap so as not to encourage unnecessary waste. Additionally, the component of the hotel and lodging industry that manufactures, produces and sells these amenities will need to adjust their business models specifically within California, which is expected to be lengthy and significant. The reality is, a mandate like this on a state with more than 500,000 hotel and lodging rooms may cause backlogs and shortages.”
Have you stopped laughing yet? Or, crying? Let’s address the “exhaust their current stock” issue first. Hotels do not have years of stock on their shelves waiting to be used. While CHLA argues that the industry will need from five to six years to eliminate inventory, Ian Wallace, President of Dispenser Amenities, explained that, “It’s not an inventory issue. It is a contract issue. The guys who make the bottles have a lot invested in it. They typically sign a two or three-year agreement and they fill it as it goes. It’s not a case of inventory sitting in a hotel. I have never heard of an agreement longer than three years. Most contracts are two years.”
Most Hotels Use Stock Amenity Program
Ray Burger, President of Pineapple Hospitality, says 80 percent of hotels use a stock amenity program that does not even require a contract. “If they use a custom program, the contracts are written for a year or two.” He adds that if a hotel owner is faced with a requirement such as Assembly Bill No. 1162, the owner should be able to get out of an agreement with the supplier.
CHLA also infers that dispenser makers may not be able to keep up with the new demand for dispensers. Says Wallace of Dispenser Amenities, “No, I would say that comment is not factual. Certainly, Dispenser Amenities can ramp up to meet increasing demand. I would presume others could too.”
What is clear here is that the authors of the bill need a reality check from folks outside of CHLA. They do not know enough about our industry. Also clear is that CHLA believes the makers of single-use plastic bottles are not agile enough to “quickly” transition to a dispenser-based business model.
In Assembly Bill No. 1162, there will be a warning, then a $500 fine, then subsequent fines not to exceed $2,000 annually if a property does not comply with the law. For a large property that would be peanuts; for a smaller property that is quite a pinch. I am not a big fan of government interference in a case like this but if there are going to be fines the money should go to organizations dedicated to cleaning up plastic waste. The money should not go to the government. Plastic waste is a huge problem and our industry has contributed a lot to it.
I contacted California Assembly Member Ash Kalra for my article but am still waiting to hear back. If I do have a chance to chat with him, I will share our conversation with you.
Your thoughts? I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
How to Search on Our Website
Like other search engines you find online, a search using one word will produce articles with that word included. If you would like to search for something that is more than one word long—ozone laundry, for example—you will need to put quotation marks around the words or phrase. Ozone laundry would then be “ozone laundry” in the search.
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
An All-New Advertising Opportunity!
Green Lodging News, lodging’s leading environmental news source, announces the launch of Green Suppliers Spotlight, an e-blast to almost 20,000 subscribers that features the lodging industry’s leading green products and services. The e-blast features multiple vendors—unlike the current Green Supplier Spotlight that allows one supplier to “own” the Green Lodging News subscriber list for one e-blast. (Click here for a Green Suppliers Spotlight sample.)
Green Suppliers Spotlight is published weekly on Thursdays to general managers, owners, management companies, directors of sustainability, directors of engineering, facilities managers and many others who are either in purchasing positions or who influence purchasing decisions. Suppliers of green products and services throughout North America and beyond are invited to participate in the e-blast. (Minimum two suppliers per e-blast.) Green Suppliers Spotlight was created to give vendors an opportunity to reach a high number of industry purchasers at a very low cost—as low as $200 per e-mail. (Click here for rate sheet.)
Those advertising in Green Suppliers Spotlight can include up to 100 words, one image, contact information and multiple links to their website in their ad. At the end of each month, a report will be sent to each supplier with information on delivered e-mails, opens and click-throughs. The Green Suppliers Spotlight e-blast will also be available in the Suppliers Spotlight Archive section of the Green Lodging News website.
Planning Advertising for 2019?
Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2019. Many excellent spots are available on our new website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. Many Green Supplier Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2019 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at editor@greenlodgingnews.com. A media kit can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
Newsletter & Green Supplier Spotlight Circulation
The circulation of our weekly e-newsletter and Green Supplier Spotlight currently stands at 19,361. Thank you to our new subscribers for signing up. Be sure to encourage your colleagues to do the same. There are “subscribe” links on the Green Lodging News home page. You may also e-mail editor@greenlodgingnews.com to be added to our list.
Green Lodging News & Social Media
Green Lodging News now has 1,762 794Twitter followers. Thank you to all of those who follow our tweets. In addition to following us on Twitter, be sure to bookmark the Green Lodging News Blog in your browser. More importantly, participate with your comments. Green Lodging News is also on Facebook. Be sure to “Like” us there. Green Lodging News now has 869 924Facebook likes.
As always, I can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.
