Marriott International is expanding an initiative to replace tiny, single-use toiletry bottles of shampoo, conditioner and bath gel in guestroom showers with larger, pump-topped bottles.

To date, the company has rolled out larger bottles at about 1,000 properties in North America. It expects most of its other hotels to make the switch by December 2020.

When fully implemented across the globe, Marriott’s expanded toiletry program is expected to prevent about 500 million tiny bottles from going to landfills each year—that’s about 1.7 million pounds of plastic, a 30 per cent annual reduction from current amenity plastic usage.

“This is our second global initiative aimed at reducing single-use plastics in just over a year, which underscores how important we believe it is to continuously find ways to reduce our hotels’ environmental impact. It’s a huge priority for us,” said Arne Sorenson, president and chief executive officer, Marriott International. “Our guests are looking to us to make changes that will create a meaningful difference for the environment while not sacrificing the quality service and experience they expect from our hotels.”

Already, more than 20 per cent of Marriott International’s more than 7,000 properties now offer larger pump-topped bottles in guestroom showers.

The August 28, 2019 announcement expands Marriott International’s early 2018 initiative to switch single-use shower toiletry bottles to larger bottles with pump dispensers in five brands: Courtyard by Marriott, Springhill Suites, Residence Inn, Fairfield by Marriott and TownePlace Suites. In addition, four of the company’s brands—Aloft Hotels, Element by Westin, Four Points and Moxy Hotels—previously implemented the pump-dispenser toiletry concept, while a fifth (AC by Marriott) is well on its way to making the change.

A typical large, pump-topped bottle contains the same amount of product as about 10 to 12 tiny, single-use bottles. Because tiny bottles are not usually recycled, they end up in the hotels’ trash bins, generating refuse that will never truly decompose in landfills. In addition to allowing guests to use as much of the product as they need, the larger bottles are also recyclable along with other basic containers, such as plastic soda bottles.