Guests not recycling

[Raone]

We now have individual recycling bins as opposed to communal ones.
Having listed what goes into what bin, both in our information folder and on the apartment notice board a few things still get put into the incorrect bin, but not a major problem.

However, our latest guests who have now left just seemed to mix everything up. I did mention we couldn't put the last lot of general rubbish out as it contained a lot of glass, plastic, food and thanks to their young son, a lot of our gravel driveway.

They said they would sort through it before they left, but never did.

It now means I have to go through all their bins and put into the correct bins otherwise our binmen would not take it and we risk a potential fine.

Would you consider deducting a small amount, say for an hours work to do this, or is it being a little petty? For me it's the fact I politely asked them to sort it out a few days before they left, even let them leave later (5pm) on their departure day as they had a late flight, so feels a bit of a kick in the teeth.

Or should I just man up, clean up and pour a beer.

[la vache!]

Or should I just man up, clean up and pour a beer.

Definitely. You can't force guests to recycle. I went to a gite once and did my best to follow the instructions to recycle, but was still told off by the housekeeper for not doing it properly. I didn't appreciate that at all. All you can do is provide the appropriate containers and instructions and hope that guests do their best, but they are on holiday after all...

[Mouse]

It is all down to each individual owner but I don't think there is anything wrong in making a charge for this as long as people are aware.
In the early days we had a problem with guests not removing rubbish, so I ensured they were aware (on departure notes) that they would be charged for each trip to the rubbish containers (think it was £10). That had the desired effect.
Unfortunately there will always be people who will need to have some sort of incentive to do what you require.

Having said that...we recently had a holiday in a villa where the recycling was an onerous task. I got so bothered by the lists of what went out on what day that in the end I threw most things in to one bag and then drove with it to a container.
Thankfully here we are only 'required' to recycle...and the bins are within walking distance so easy peasy.

Mouse
x

[KathyG]

We have the same recycling problem in France Raone and last summer I deducted £40 (for 2 hrs work) from a guest's deposit for exactly that. The bin men refused to empty the bins so we tipped the whole lot out onto a tarpaulin, took photos of it and re-sorted it. In this case they had also decided not to use bin liners so all their food waste was thrown in with everything too. Maggots everywhere, it was revolting!

[Sam V]

With so many different outside bins for each recycling, do you have a separate recycling box or bin inside the property? Sometimes just having somewhere in the kitchen to separately drop your glass jars, paper, tins Helps guests empty the filled container into the correct bin outside.

[Bunny]

Raone I totally understand your frustration. I've had this happen to me quite often too and spent ages wading through maggots to sort it. I make it very easy for them, so don't understand why some choose to completely ignore all instructions. I've never made a charge but it would definitely effect my decision as to whether I would have them back. IMO we all have a moral duty to act responsibly whether on holiday or not.

[pambon]

Raone, you are lucky to live in a place where you can re-cycle!

After years (literally) of discussion, a trial period of re-cycling is begining on June 1st for nine big hotels here. Hopefully it will be extended to cover the whole town in the coming months.

For this year, at least, we won't have this problem, next season if I'm still in the business we'll see...

However, in your case, I think I would deduct something because as Bunny says: IMO we all have a moral duty to act responsibly whether on holiday or not.

And because you asked them beforehand to see to this and then lent over backwards to let them stay on for a late departure.

[Nemo]

I think I would only charge if like mousie I already have it laid down in my terms and conditions that I can deduct for such an item.

As recycling can be complicated and very different from area to area let alone different countries, if they'd attempted to follow the instructions as la vache had, then that would be a different matter.

I have recycled as much as I can for years and get quite fed up when I can't recycle. The next generation though seem to care far less than I do though! In a cafe at the weekend, a little girl who was the child of a member of staff announced that she wanted a drink of water, promptly went to the fridge and took out a bottle. Never mind going to the tap and running a glassful of it!

I'm reminded of this article that has done the rounds of the net.

Checking out at the supermarket recently, the young cashier suggested I should bring my own bags because plastic bags weren’t good for the environment. I apologised and explained, “We didn’t have this green thing back in my earlier days“.

The cashier responded, “That’s our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations“.

She was right about one thing–our generation didn’t have the green thing in “Our” day. So what did we have back then? After some reflection and soul-searching on “Our” day, here’s what I remembered we did have….

Back then, we returned milk bottles, pop bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilised and refilled, so it could use the same bottles repeatedly. So they really were recycled. But we didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn’t have a lift in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn’t have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby’s nappies because we didn’t have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 240 volts — wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right. We didn’t have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house — not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of Wales. In the kitchen, we blended & stirred by hand because we didn’t have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back then, we didn’t fire up an engine and burn petrol just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she’s right. We didn’t have the green thing back then.

We drank from a water fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn’t have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the bus, and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their mums into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn’t need a computerised gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn’t it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn’t have the green thing back then?

[Hells Bells]

I still dry my clothes on the line, my tumble dryer is about 20 years old and only used for emergencies. Nothing like a good blow in the fresh air.

[Nemo]

Just hung the first load out now. My dryer just gets used for the large items like towels and sheets in the winter

[kg1]

Brilliant ! Going to pinch that please

[Marks]

I still dry my clothes on the line, my tumble dryer is about 20 years old and only used for emergencies. Nothing like a good blow in the fresh air.

There's a joke in there

[PW in Polemi]

What's a tumble drier?

[pambon]

What's a tumble drier?

Hanging your washing out to dry on a very hot sunny day with high winds

[B&B netherlands]

my washing machine is 15yrs old. it sometimes lets me down, not completing the cycle so i give it a kick and hope for the best. luckily,i have 6 sets of everything for my 4 bed B&B.

and no place for a spin dryer or whatever.

and the netherlands of course, not having a mediterrean climate.

i just do not understand how people in f.i. italy, spain do it - swimming pool and a.c. problems.

joking...

from a wet and windy (summer..? what is that?) uithoorn - enjoy your coming weekend...!!!