Seattle - trash bin management

Melissa24
Level 2
Seattle, WA

Seattle - trash bin management

Is anyone struggling to manage trash bins at their Airbnb on a weekly basis - making sure they make it to the curb and back in a timely way, with the correct contents - if you're not living in the property, or out of town? Is this a challenge for anyone else? How do you manage it?

6 Replies 6
Paul154
Level 10
Seattle, WA

I hate sorting compost from guests' garbage.

I hate dumping out partially used salsa/cream cheese/whatever from their containers before I put it garbage.  I find it is the most demeaning task of hosting.

I hate guests who say "Yes, I do separate" but they don't.

Mostly I hate that Seattle garbage workers will NOT take the garbage if there is compost in the bin.

 

As you can see, garbage is very problematic in Seattle. It is expensive to administer.

I have 3 bins in my kitchen - with a pictoral guide of what goes where.

But 2 out of 10 guests are clueless. 

The only thing is to make separating as easy as possible, put mandatory separating as a house rule and review guests accordingly.  

Wish I knew a better solution.

 

Paul, we do the same thing - have mandatory separating as a house rule (with some fun phrase like, "Do it like the locals do - be a "green Seattlite, saving the planet" by sorting trash, recycling and compost according to the instructions on each bin"). I also agree, that pictoral guides are priceless...  All that being said, we've still had people throw tin foil and plastic in our compost and banana peels in the garbage and it's definitely not fun to sort after a week-long group. 

Studio3
Level 1
Coral Springs, FL

We are a management company and we provide valet trash service for the South Florida area- making sure the bins are pulled to the curb and separated, pulling them back in. Also if theres excessive trash- carrying it away. Maybe there is something like this in your area? Heather- Studio D Residential

Heather,  Sounds like a business expansion opportunity! 😉  When are you coming to Seattle... ? Sign us up! 🙂 

Ashley197
Level 6
Seattle, WA

We provide three separate bins wherever there is "trash" - e.g. recycling, trash and compost - with the city guidelines attached to the bins in a professional-looking way. While we ask long-term AirBnB guests to take the apartment bins to the trash, we actually leave the trash at the curb. Since the majority of the "trash" is actually recycling, we order a second recycling bin and put it closer to the entrance of the AirBnB - that way the bin that needs emptying the most is convenient. When we check back in, we just switch out the recycling closest to the house with the one by the curb. It's not a perfect solution, but it helps! 🙂 

Pete28
Level 10
Seattle, WA

I deal with trash for both a long term rental and Airbnb 😞

 

- neither recycle efficiently or correctly

- the cost of extra garbage can quickly add up, $10 extra bin or if lid is not closed 😞

- have found some Airbnb folks feel they help out by overfilling curb bin, which then gets attacked by birds and annoys neighbours