New York State Votes to Ban Plastic Bottles for Personal Care Products at Hotels
Oceana Applauds New York Legislators for Curbing the Unnecessary Single-Use Plastic Flooding Our Planet
Press Release Date: April 26, 2021
Location: Albany, N.Y.
Contact:
Dustin Cranor, APR | email: dcranor@oceana.org | tel: 954.348.1314
Today, the New York Senate passed a bill that will prohibit hotels from providing small plastic bottles containing personal care products. The bill, which was also passed by the New York Assembly last week, now awaits Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s signature before becoming law.
“Hotels produce thousands of pounds of plastic waste by stocking rooms with small plastic bottles of personal care products. This bill would not only provide guests with plastic-free choices but could also save hotels money by eliminating the cost of these single-use plastic items,” said Oceana’s New York field representative, Brian Langloss. “Single-use plastics are profoundly flawed by design: They use a material made to last forever but are designed to be thrown away and are sometimes only used for a moment before polluting the Earth and our oceans for years to come. New York has taken an important step today in reducing its contribution to the plastic pollution problem.”
Scientists estimate that 33 billion pounds of plastic wash into the ocean every year. That equates to about two garbage trucks’ worth of plastic entering the ocean every minute. Just this past November, Oceana found evidence of nearly 1,800 marine mammals and sea turtles swallowing or become entangled in plastic in U.S. waters between 2009 and early 2020 — 88% of those animals were from species listed as endangered or threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Plastic has been found in every corner of the world and has turned up in drinking water, beer, salt, honey and more. Recycling alone will not solve this problem — the plastic recycling rate has never exceeded 10%, and companies continue to push new plastic products onto the market. With plastic production growing at a rapid rate, increasing amounts of plastic can be expected to flood our blue planet with devastating consequences.
For more information about Oceana’s campaign to end the plastics problem, please visit usa.oceana.org/plastics.
Oceana is the largest international advocacy organization dedicated solely to ocean conservation. Oceana is rebuilding abundant and biodiverse oceans by winning science-based policies in countries that control one-third of the world’s wild fish catch. With more than 225 victories that stop overfishing, habitat destruction, pollution, and the killing of threatened species like turtles and sharks, Oceana’s campaigns are delivering results. A restored ocean means that 1 billion people can enjoy a healthy seafood meal, every day, forever. Together, we can save the oceans and help feed the world. Visit www.USA.Oceana.org to learn more.
