What do you do about garbage collection?

[Ladan1]

Our home is located in a residential area and after each check-out, our cleaner takes all the trash out to the bins. Well, we have garbage collection day on Thursdays and we've included in our rules that guests must take the bins out to the curb on Wednesday evenings and bring them back in on Thursday afternoons. We remind the guest in the check-in instructions and send a message to them on Wednesday afternoon reminding them to take the bins to the curb. It's the only chore we ask of our guests, but that's because we don't have the luxury of having a home in an apartment complex or somewhere where garbage is automated.

So far it's been hit or miss with guests. Some completely ignore us. Some tell us it's not their job (even though it's clearly listed as a rule...similar to how some places have quiet hours, etc.). Sometimes we get an amazing guest who doesn't mind at all and doesn't complain.

Sometimes the check-out coincides with a cleaning day, so our cleaner is more than happy to do so. We'd do it ourselves, but we live more than an hour away...so we can't drive down there (especially when a guest ignores us and we don't know if they actually took it to the curb or not).

Is anyone else in a similar situation? If so, how do you get your guests to take the bins to the curb and bring them back in?

[Cynthia-and-Chris1]

@Ladan1 Personally, I wouldn’t book a place that required me to do any chores, so I can understand why some people just don’t care to deal with it. I would probably up your price a little to cover the cost of your cleaner (or someone else nearby) doing it weekly. 

[Ladan1]

@Cynthia-and-Chris1 That's fine, but that's why we have our rules listed in our listing information as well as House Rules section. So them just ignoring it is actually a violation of our rules and technically allows us to collect from the security deposit. I'm looking more for people who have this same experience and solutions they've found to be helpful.

[David126]

I agree that you are best organising for the trash to be taken out.

The general con sensus is that it is an odd guest who reads all the rules and I do not understand your comment about the Security Deposit, what guest would agree to be penalised?

[Marzena4]

It sounds strange to expect guests to take bins out. It would be understood only in the case of long-term rentals with no cleaners involved. But short stays? I would list here many simpler tasks guests never do.

[Rene-and-Zac0]

@Ladan1 I’m surprised you can actually get guest to throw the trash outside in the bins in the first place. When I can get a guest to take just the trash outside, I consider that a win. There’s no neighbors or a local kid that will do it for $5 a week?  Or what’s that app? task, and post it there. Good luck 

[Richard322]

I leave quite a detailed welcome note for our guests, which includes dealing with the various classes of garbage: food scraps, compostable material, recyclable items, glass and general non-perishable waste. Garbage is a big issues for homestay hosts. If it is isn't deal with efficiently it attracts rodents and flies. Even though we live adjacent to one of our houses and 30km from the other, I try to avoid intrusions. It amazes me how few people read these notes. Some just dump everything into one place. Makes me wonder how they manage garbage at home.

[Nina204]

We bag up the trash in contractor bags and just take home with us if another group is coming and they are fully loaded.  I don't feel comfortable asking guests to take it out.  Maybe you can provide contractor trash bags and your cleaning lady can take with her

[Elizabeth610]

I have the exact same situation. Trash is supposed to get carted out from back patio on collection day. I really don't like asking my guests to do this so I try to find a way to get it done. I don't put it in the rules "that because you happen to be the one who is staying over on trash day, you will be asked to cart it out to the street and bring bins back ."  That is too much in my opinion. So I try to have good communication with the guests and in some cases, I felt like she would be happy to do so. Others, I just would not risk it. I try to solve the problem by going there myself sometimes, but I am not that far away. In your case, I would definitely try to find a solution, paying someone who lives nearby to look after it. And as you know, that means, they need to be respectful of the guests space etc.. not an easy situation! 

[Dan95]

The way I solved this problem is just to have the gardener take out the cans, since he has the gate key and is there once per week. The key is to have him come just before trash pickup (at most a day), and then visit again after pickup. I have to pay him a bit extra for the second trip, but most gardeners are in the local neighborhood anyway, so you probably will not have to pay too much extra. I could maybe find a neighborhood kid, but it won't be much cheaper, and the less people in the neighborhood who know my business, the better. My two cents.

[David3133]

I find it to be a bit awkward to ask my guests to take the trash out. I can’t.  Garbage pickup is Tuesday afternoons in our neighborhood; so if guests stay past Tuesday nights night, I ask our cleaner to take the bin out on Monday night as a separate trip. I pay them well enough so they don’t mind the occasional extra trip, and if it’s more than a couple of times a month I’ll pay them extra. Also I have a good personal relationship with them so it helps.

One possible strategy to deal with this tricky subject could be to decline a booking across garbage day (while leaving the day open to book). The reason for declining would be that its housekeeping day, and only open for check-in; explain the issue with garbage pick up.   If the guest wants it badly enough they can negotiate and “volunteer” to take care of the trash. This way they won’t perceive it as an indignity. I haven’t done this yet - but perhaps the next time. Good luck. 

[Jeremy-And-Shilo0]

Hi everyone,

We struggled with the same issue around what to do with garbage collection. Wondering if any of you would be interested in a paid weekly garbage collection service? This would eliminate the burden placed on the guests, and to remove garbage hanging around for days or weeks on end. 

The service would be around $150 /month. 

I appreciate any feedback you can provide.

thanks

Jeremy

[Sofia100]

do you happen to know anyone willing to do this service in the DC/MD metropolitan area??

---

@Jeremy-And-Shilo0 wrote:

Hi everyone,

We struggled with the same issue around what to do with garbage collection. Wondering if any of you would be interested in a paid weekly garbage collection service? This would eliminate the burden placed on the guests, and to remove garbage hanging around for days or weeks on end. 

The service would be around $150 /month. 

I appreciate any feedback you can provide.

thanks

Jeremy

---