What to do with Plastic bottles & single use plastics?

Andrew157
Level 10
Windermere, United Kingdom

What to do with Plastic bottles & single use plastics?

Plastic bottles are big news in the UK at present. So I was wondering about creative ways to reduce the use of single use plastic in our listing. 

 

Currently we provide two bottles of water in the fridge and extra 2litre bottles in the listing with a borehole supply. 

 

We will stop supplying the water and provide a water flask and a reusable glass bottle of the tap water to chill in the fridge. 

 

Any other ideas? 

68 Replies 68
Rachel0
Level 10
London, United Kingdom

@Andrew157I have two glasss water carafes with glasses that fit inside the neck of each one, all made from recycled glass.  I got them online from a site callled Ethical Superstore.  I leave one for each guest in the bedroom, filled with tap water and ice if required.  Loads of guests have commented on them and loved them.  Think they cost about £10 each and are well worth it.

Thank you for the link!

 

Use those empty wine bottles!  Clean them out, fill them up with filtered tap and cap them off with wine corks or plastic wrap and a rubber band.  It's amazing how many guests think this is "fancy". Don't drink wine - ask the local bar for the fanciest liquor bottle or the one with the coolest shape when they empty it. Reuse and upcycle! 

Best answer ever!!

Sake bottles come in all manner of shapes and are perfect and a conversation piece - I acquired a beautiful blue twisted style one when attending a Sake Expo that has had all manner of comments. It catches the sun & moonlight beautifully as well.

Add a stick-on, write-on chalk label that says, "Water," and it'll look even fancier!

Make that "Gluten-free Water."

Petrina3
Level 10
Sapphire Beach, Australia

anything that we can do to help the environment is good- my humble opinion is all hosts should be helping via using sustainable products and supporting recycling where they can- this could make airbnb a  world leader in enviromental friendliness. get rid of the toxic cleaners, dry washing on the line  if possible), use refillable containers for shampoos, body wash etc, ( not small plastic bottles which are enviromentaly contributing to plastic waste) use eco friendly washing powder and dishwashing detergent,I use an eco friendly cleaner called "Koh" which cleans all surfaces and is manufactured in Australia- no nasties and no smell, i also supply " who gives a crap" toilet paper ,tissues and papertowels which are made from bamboo which is forest friendly- no inks, dyes or scents. i provide refillable coffee cups. I am hoping that others may take on board and help stop the stuff that goes to landfill and be aware of our precious enviroment

Petrina3
Level 10
Sapphire Beach, Australia

i honestly think that airbnb  could become a world leader in this given all the negative press re the amount of plastics in the ocean and drinking water/ fish etc contaminated by micro plastics. please think about it

I totally agree with that. How about implementing an additional category to highlight listings that meet high environmental standards (for example because they reduce the usage of plastic products up to a minimum). This would give guests who value environmental awareness, the ability to filter targeted offers with an environmentally friendly equipment in their search. On the other hand, hosts offering environment-aware listings may be labeled with a special seal - for example a green giraffe 🙂

Sarah977
Level 10
Sayulita, Mexico

If you live where the tap water is not considered good to drink (altho this bottled water craze is a bit much- people now seem to think that tap water is simply poison everywhere, yet they really have no idea where their bottled water comes from, not to mention the plastic water bottles are really unhealthy to drink out of) there are these very cool water filter containers called Berkey. They come in various sizes, and while they are pricey to start with, the filters supposedly last for years and they are actually quite attractive- stainless steel and look fine on a kitchen counter. 

Jill2
Level 8
Franklin, TN

I have a Brita filtered jug in The fridge of each of my listings. The guests are very happy.

Cynthia129
Level 4
Raleigh, NC

I have put a small sign in each of my units that says "Our tap water is safe and delicious!" and do not supply bottled water at all. I also have reusable water bottles on the counter for guests to use during their visit. Those frequently go missing, but in our area I can easily get replacements at thrift stores for just a $1 or so - often with local events or stores listed on them!

No one  has complained, but sometimes guests do leave bottles of water and I notice them in the recycling. 

Mirella48
Level 2
Naples, Italy

Glass should be better

Brett3
Level 10
Gold Coast, Australia

@Andrew157

 

It's great that you posted this. I think 'buying' water when the tap water is clean is madness. It is sad that Uber actively encourage their drivers to provide bottled waters to passengers. The most rediculous part is that bottled water is often more expensive than petrol and has just been pumped out of the ground and bottled. It's just water!!

 

I bought small bench top water filters for each of my listings that cost about $50. They came with 2 filters that are each good for about a year. To me the water tastes pretty much the same from the filter as straight out of the tap but the guests get kind of excited and think it's great.

 

The fridge in my 60's themed apartment has a Tupperware water jug actually from 1967. So here we are over 50 years later and it's still being used. Totally Dolpin or Turtle safe.

 

Brett

My tap water is delicous also, and I tell my guests that if they want hot tea or coffee to fill the mug and nuke it. I provide bottled water because that's the only way to have it refrigerated in the mini fridge when they arrive.