How to be a Waste Free Airbnb

How to be a Waste Free Airbnb

It’s harder to be ‘green’ when you’re an Airbnb Host. There are certain expectations to be upheld including providing a safe, clean, hygienic, warm and cosy home from home. There is however, still lots that can be done. Here’s a few ideas on how to aim to be a Waste Free Airbnb.

More water and energy is used when guests stay, so how can you prevent wastage?

  • Put water saving devices on your taps, shower and toilet.
  • If possible, make plugs easy to access and turn off to prevent items such as TVs being left on standby.
  • Use LED light bulbs.
  • Ask guests to turn the lights off when they go out for the day.
  • Ask guests if the temperature in your home is right for them. Show them how to adjust the radiator thermostat to prevent them opening the window if they are too hot.
  • Draught proof your home – put draught excluder around doors and windows, etc.

Washing bedlinen and towels is essential but how can you try to avoid wasting water and energy?

  • Wash full loads in the washing machine.
  • Ask people to leave out the towels, etc they use to avoid washing clean items. You could put the guest towels in a basket or on a shelf so they only take out the ones they use.
  • And when the bedding and towels are no longer suitable for guests search the WasteNot List for places you can donate them.

Maintaining a clean and hygienic home is essential so how can you achieve this whilst creating minimal waste?

  • Use refillable cleaning products.
  • Dust before cleaning to prevent having to use more of the cleaning product to collect the dust.
  • Use reusable sponges and cloths where possible rather than single use products.
  • Use a laundry egg.

Guests may only stay for short periods of time so how can you prevent food wastage?

  • Provide items such as salt, pepper, butter, ketchup, oil and jam so guests don’t need to buy these items on arrival and potentially throw them away at the end of their stay.
  • If you provide breakfast ask guests if they have any dietary requirements and provide any food options in advance.
  • It’s a good idea to provide the cereal, fruit etc that you like to eat so food doesn’t go to waste if nearing their expiry date.
  • If you don’t officially provide breakfast but want to provide some food you could put items such as bread, pancakes and pain-au-chocolat in the freezer so guests can heat them up and prevents them going stale if not eaten.

Guests need things to be simple and easy, so how do you limit the amount of rubbish produced?

  • Ask guests to leave out any tourist leaflets, food menus etc they collect so they can be given to other guests.
  • Create a book library / swap with books guests leave behind.
  • Give guests a reusable cup they can take out with them. You could provide guests with a list of places they can get discounts when using the cup.
  • Guests order a lot of takeaways that come in plastic containers with lids – keep the containers, they can be used to store things.
  • Provide shampoo, soap and shower gel to prevent guests buying travel size options and disposing of them. Do you have a local refill shop?
  • Provide a separate bin for recycling. Give details of what can be put in the recycling bin. You could print the information from your local authority website and put it next to the bin.