Updated on September 24, 2024
All man-made development is inextricably a part of our natural world, and short-term rentals are no exception. Many short-term rentals even provide lodging for visitors to some of the world’s most beautiful natural landscapes, pristine protected wilderness, and stunning natural wonders.
Yet, household waste from any location can make its way into our environment, smother plants and wildlife, and mar the natural beauty that attracts visitors to our homes in the first place. Reducing waste in your short-term rental helps to reverse this issue, preserve our most valuable natural assets, and even protect our livelihoods.
Fortunately, cutting down on the waste produced at your short-term rental can also create a better guest experience, save you money, and provide a fun and creative challenge, especially with some inspiring tips from other short-term rental operators who have joined the movement for more sustainable accommodations. Here are some ingenious ideas to reduce waste at your short-term rental or vacation rental.
Read more: The 2023 STR Sustainability Report
1. A self-imposed ban on single-use plastic and disposable products
One study estimates that the accumulation of plastics in the world’s oceans could reach 600 million metric tons by 2040, according to National Geographic.
Even if you don’t live in a country or state with a ban on single-use plastics, consider imposing that standard on yourself. Ending the use of single-use plastic products like plastic water bottles, cutlery, straws, and hotel-style toiletry bottles can make a big impact on reducing plastic waste.
Instead of bottled water for your guests, consider stocking your vacation rental with reusable bottles and providing a filtered water station where they can refill them. Instead of Keurig pods, provide ground coffee and a reusable pod. Instead of small plastic toiletry items, put shampoo, conditioner, and soap in refillable dispensers and buy those products in bulk.
Choose products that have recyclable or reusable packaging, or best of all, no packaging at all.
Even if the products aren’t made of plastic, you can reduce waste in other ways by offering reusable alternatives to items that might usually be single-use.
Bonus tip: Consider customizing reusable items with your property’s brand and encouraging guests to bring them home! For example, consider the refillable water bottles mentioned above or reusable cloth bags that guests can use for shopping. Choosing useful reusable branded products isn’t just a win for your property, it’s a win for the guest in encouraging sustainable habits at home and for your future bookings as they get your brand in front of other potential guests.
Brittany Blackman, the owner of Breathe Easy Vacation Rentals in the Florida Panhandle, offers additional thoughtful ideas on her YouTube channel. Instead of disposable makeup remover pads, she provides black washcloths so that the towels don’t absorb stains when guests use them to remove makeup. In place of disposable sponges, she provides silicone sponges, also called scrubbers.
“Everybody loves a sponge,” she said in one of her YouTube videos. Unlike the standard sponge, silicone sponges are bacteria-, mildew-, and stain-resistant and can be sanitized in the dishwasher to up to 440 degrees Fahrenheit and reused after each stay.
“We have these in all of our properties,” Blackman said. “They’re much more expensive than your classic sponge, but after a few uses, honestly, this will pay for itself.
“That sustainability feature to me is very important, so it’s not just waste, waste, waste after every guest’s stay.”
2. Upcycle (or donate) furniture and decor
Instead of buying new furniture for your vacation rental, consider upcycling an old piece of furniture or item and making it into something new that your guests can enjoy. It will add a fun dose of creativity to your decor. (Just avoid upholstered items and be extra careful about bedbugs.)
The ideas on Pinterest are endless, from making a bed out of an old boat to making a kitchen island out of an old desk or dresser. You could use old mason jars as drinking glasses or save crates, pallets, and car tires for garden furniture.
Some operators have gone so far as to create entire upcycled vacation rentals, such as homes made out of old school buses, barns, grain silos, shipping containers, and covered wagons. Airbnb’s new OMG! category is full of properties like these, like Host Kristie Wolfe’s upcycled giant prop potato!
If you can’t figure out how to repurpose old furniture or other household items, consider donating them to a local philanthropic organization that can reuse or resell them.
Read more: The ROI of Responsible Interior Design
3. Use the power of nature itself with live plants and composting
Silk and plastic plants can be high maintenance to clean, and they can also be made of plastic and produce more unnecessary waste in landfills. Instead, stick to real plants, which are biodegradable, look more inviting, and have the side benefit of cleaning the air in your vacation rental. Choose ones that are safe for kids and pets and native to your area’s landscape to bring in an extra local touch.
While you’re growing those plants, you also can repurpose your guests’ food waste into nutrient-rich compost for your plants or garden. Keep a composter onsite and leave instructions for guests on where they can dispose of their food waste inside the kitchen and outside in the composter.
Looking for more? Read next: 9 ways to make your short-term rental more sustainable
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