Relating To Single-use Plastics.
HB348 would prohibit lodging establishments in Hawaii from providing guests with small plastic containers of personal care products such as shampoo, conditioner, and bath soap. The ban would apply to containers of six ounces or less and would cover items placed in guest rooms, within guest-room spaces, and in bathrooms used by the public or guests. The bill allows hotels and similar properties to switch to bulk dispensers or to provide non-plastic packaging upon request, but not in the prohibited locations.
The prohibition would take effect in phases: July 1, 2026, for lodging establishments with more than 50 sleeping room accommodations, and January 1, 2028, for smaller establishments. The bill defines “lodging establishment” broadly to include hotels, resorts, motels, bed-and-breakfast homes, transient vacation rentals, transient accommodations, and hosted rentals, while excluding facilities such as hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, shelters, and long-term rental homes. It also authorizes the Department to inspect properties, issue citations, and adopt rules to implement the law.
HB348 would add a new section to chapter 342H, Hawaii Revised Statutes, creating a statewide restriction on single-use plastic toiletry containers in the lodging sector. It establishes civil penalties of $500 for a first violation and $2,000 for second or subsequent violations, with each day of continued noncompliance treated as a separate offense. The Attorney General may seek penalties in environmental court, and counties are expressly allowed to adopt stricter ordinances. The bill would affect hotels, resorts, transient vacation rentals, and other lodging operators, while encouraging a shift toward bulk dispensers and non-plastic alternatives.
The available voting history suggests broad support for the bill in committee, with unanimous or near-unanimous passage in the Senate committees that considered it. The bill’s findings frame it as an environmental and tourism-sustainability measure, and the committee results indicate little recorded opposition at that stage. No committee transcripts were provided, so the discussion record is limited, but the overall sentiment appears favorable and aligned with plastic-waste reduction goals.
The main policy tension is between environmental goals and the operational burden on lodging establishments, especially smaller properties that receive a later compliance date. Another likely point of contention is enforcement, since the bill authorizes inspections, citations, and daily penalties, which may raise concerns among hotel and short-term rental operators about compliance costs and regulatory oversight. The bill also draws a line between plastic and non-plastic packaging, and between guest-room placement and other distribution methods, which could be debated by industry stakeholders seeking more flexibility.