Despite official mandates to stop providing disposable plastic products, a report released Thursday revealed widespread non-compliance among Chinese hotels, with star-rated establishments trailing behind their non-star-rated counterparts.

The report, compiled by the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs and the Wuhu Ecology Center, draws on public oversight and field research guided by the China Forum of Environmental Journalists.

In August 2020, the Ministry of Commerce required star-rated hotels to end the proactive distribution of disposable plastic products by the end of 2022, with the rule extending to all hotels, guesthouses, and homestays by the end of 2025.

However, a public oversight initiative launched by IPE and its NGO partners in 2024 found that most hotels continue to provide these items. By the end of 2025, the initiative, which uses real-time photo reporting from volunteers, had surveyed 1,867 hotels across 256 cities. Only 8.4 percent of hotels refrained from providing disposable toothbrushes, and 12.1 percent refrained from providing combs.

Star-rated hotels, expected to lead compliance, were identified as "laggards". All 40 five-star hotels surveyed were found to still offer disposable items. Data from the oversight initiative in 2025 showed that star-rated hotels were less compliant in not providing disposable toothbrushes and combs compared to non-star-rated hotels.