Holiday Rental Property Waste Management
Council actively encourages tourists to the area, sharing in our heritage and coastlines and in turn the financial investment to local businesses. COVID travel restrictions has increased occupancy rates of holiday homes during peak and off-peak periods.
On the 1st July 2021, Council introduced the organics collection to support the Federal Government’s ‘Waste Strategic Plan 2020-2023’ set targets for councils, businesses and residents to increase waste sustainability; with a circular economy and objective of significantly reducing waste ending up in landfill. The Copper Coast Council supports the Federal and State government waste reform strategies and initiatives (including the recent Single Use Plastic bill) to protect our precious environment by implementing several changes to the kerbside waste collection services for businesses and residents with means to redirect waste that would normally end up in landfill. Results from the Copper Coast Council kerbside bin audit (conducted by KESAB) in 2020 actually showed that food waste and compostable material makes up 48% of all waste collected in the general waste bin. This equates to around 2.62 kg waste per household every week going to landfill when it could be diverted and made into compost (which is 100% sustainable and cost effective).
Council residential kerbside waste collection service moved to a fortnightly collection of all waste streams as follows:
General Waste 1 x 140 litre bin with a red lid Fortnightly Collection | Recyclables 1 x 240 litre bin with a yellow lid Fortnightly Collection | Organics - FOGO 1 x 240 litre bin with a lime green lid Fortnightly Collection |
Residential properties are provided with a standard kerbside waste collection service, designed to meet normal domestic waste demands. Any residential properties used as short term rental and holiday accommodation properties are entitled to access the service insofar as the fortnightly waste production is similar to that of a normal residential property. The kerbside service is not designed to meet the needs of excessive short term waste or commercial operations. Therefore short term rental and holiday accommodation properties may exceed the capacity catered for by Council’s service and additional arrangements need to be implemented to address this.
How can you manage this? By putting in place a few simple steps to effectively handle waste streams, volumes and removal of in required times, will reduce additional costs being incurred by the property owner.
- Understand the principal
Waste…. doesn’t just leave each property and disappear, landfill has a life-long management and financial cost on councils (and therefore the ratepayers). Together we can lessen pressure on our environment, help shape the future direction of council services and reduce waste disposal costs. Understand what can be collected by the kerbside collection service including food waste and organic waste now being placed in the LIME GREEN organics bin (not the RED bin) will decrease the amount of waste going to landfill that is converted into valuable compost. But think also outside the normal - consider ways to remove waste in a sustainable and cost effective way outside the kerbside collection system.
- Under common breaches of the kerbside collection:
- Additional waste generated, greater than the standard kerbside collection
- Contamination of waste streams as waste is not separated correctly
- Excess waste placed outside the bins
- Bins over flowing/ lids not closing causing waste to blow out down the streets.
- Bins placed out on the street for more than 24 hours either side of the actual collection day.
- Ideas to encourages occupants and tenants to actively management excessive waste?
- Understand how to separate your household waste for kerbside collection.
- Identify other ways to dispose of separate waste outside the kerbside collection – eg receptacle cans and bottles
- Ensure all persons who speak to prospective clients and manage bookings, including contractors (cleaners) understand the waste management system for each property
- Provide simply the bins and clear practical instructions to separate waste at each property.
- Provide clear instructions to tenants and occupants when booking; at the welcome email and also in the properties itself and on bins.
- Review each property on exit to review common issues and rectify accordingly.
4. Review waste requirements for each property:
- Identify what influences waste quantities and types:
- How many people are staying at the property?
- What age group are the people staying (babies, teenagers, young couples, families, elderly people)?
- Are occupants expecting days visitors?
- How many days are the occupants staying (overnight, weekend, fortnight)
- What are the collection days and how will the bin be placed out by 7.30 am on collection day
- Provide bins and equipment to assist separation of waste at each property:
- Provide a Council issued 7 litre kitchen caddy bin and compostable bags is in the kitchen (lid provide simple instructions what goes in the organics bin).
- Provide:
- three bins in the house to assist with placing waste outside in the correct bins
- large compostable bags for the organic waste
- large bags for the general waste
- Provide each property with the compliant bins for the fortnightly kerbside collection waste:
- 140L red lid bin for general waste
- 240L yellow lid bin for recycling materials
- 240L lime green lid bin for organic materials
- Refer Bin Specification Guidelines
- Provide additional bins:
- 240 litre bin for receptacle cans only
- 240 litre bin for receptacle bottles and wine / spirit bottles only
- Clearly mark each bin what waste type the bin is:
- General waste
- Recycling waste (don’t wrap recycling or put soft plastics in the bin)
- Organic waste
- Can bin
- Bottle bin
- Provide clear simple instructions on waste handling and expectation of tenants at each property:
- Booking confirmation - provide a summary of waste handling instructions and restrictions (eg excess waste and contamination of waste bins will attract additional charges)
- Welcome email – arrival/exit instructions to include
- In Welcome Folder at the property - educational material and instructions on how to:
- Waste must be separated into the correct bin (Refer Council printable poster and Kitchen Caddy brochure).
- Waste cannot be placed outside the bin or overflowing in the bin, preventing the lid from closing, ensure cardboard is flattened to allow the sorting equipment to separate waste types and make additional room
- What days each bin is to be placed on the kerbside for collection with suitable access for the collection truck (Refer Kerbside Collection Calendar).
- Deliver waste to the Resource Recovery Centre upon exiting the property. The centre is open 7 days a week, and rubbish can be disposed of for a fee (Refer Waste Management brochure).
- Deliver cans and bottles, including wine bottles, to YP Recycling (open 5 days a week) at no charge (and receive money for receptacle containers)
- Engage a waste contractor for a once off collection for a fee (provide phone numbers of local contractors)
- Take excess waste home with them
- Or other property management company waste handling methods (eg engage Scouts to collect bottles and cans etc)
- Instructions on how to deal with excess waste
- Also have a system in place to deal with unexpected waste issues for:
- non-collection fortnights
- excess waste left by tenants to ensure the vicinity is not impacted.
5. Education and Equipment Supporting Active Separation of Waste
Council, with the support of a Green Industries SA grant, provides each household with a 7 litre Kitchen Caddy Bin and liners plus simple educational material and a collection calendar that additional copies can be obtained for your welcome kits. If you do not have one, please collect one from the Kadina Office or Resource Recovery Centre.
6. Further Information
Waste will continually evolve and it is important businesses and residents continue to stay informed and educated. Council will continue to update information on the website - https://www.coppercoast.sa.gov.au/services/waste-and-recycling, and share information on Facebook, Copper Post Newsletter (with Rate Notices), and the Yorke Peninsula Country Times. Should you need further information and support, please contact our Customer Service Team on (08) 8828 1200 during office hours.