Vacation Rental Manager Program

Step 1.Decide what kind of recycling to provide on-site.

Your options range from implementing full on-site recycling to simply letting guests know where do it themselves. The more recycling you offer on-site, the more trash you'll divert from the landfill. If you currently pay for trash collection, you may be able to offset recycling costs by contracting for fewer trash pick-ups or smaller dumpsters. If you need help getting your program started, please call the County Recycling Office at 241-4841.

Information flyers and recycling bin labels have been designed for the options listed below:

1. You give vacation renters a flyer telling them how and where to recycle themselves and provide a separate wastebasket for recyclables. While this is easy and virtually cost-free to implement, it will produce the smallest dent in the volume of visitor trash.
2. Guests put their HI 5 “bottle bill” beverage containers in a separate indoor bin. Your house cleaners collect and redeem the “HI 5’s” or donate them to a school, non-profit or church.
3. You pay a recycling service for scheduled pick-ups of glass, plastic and aluminum. The contractor provides labeled collection bins. You can ask guests to take bottles and cans to these bins or have your house cleaners do it. For rates and schedules, call:
   Kauaʻi Community Recycling Services, 645-1676 (condo and business pick-ups)
   JC Sandblast & Recycle Kauaʻi Service, 245-2600 (condo and business pick-ups)
   L&T Alternatives, 652-5654 (pick-ups at individual homes, condos and businesses)
4. You collect various types of recyclables and take them to Garden Isle Disposal's facility located at 2666 Niumalu Road in Lihue M-F 8 am to 3:30 pm (closed for lunch from 11 to noon). Note that other county recycling drop bins are not for commercial use. Guests take materials to your collection bins for sorting. This might work best if you have a truck going to Lihue regularly for supplies.

Step 2.Put a recycling container in each rental unit.

• You don’t need special recycling bins. With the appropriate label, a medium or large wastebasket in any color works fine. If you want more distinctive recycling bins, bright “crayon” blue is becoming the most common color nationwide; green is next.
• For each type of program, the County has specialized labels available for your use, free of charge.

Step 3.Provide outdoor collection bins for consolidation and sorting recyclables.

• If guests do their own recycling, you won’t need outdoor collection bins to consolidate and sort recyclables. If you contract with a pick-up service, they’ll provide outdoor collection bins.
• If you're going to take the recyclables to Garden Isle Disposal's facility located at 2666 Niumalu Road in Lihue, you’ll need a labeled trash can or other large bin for each type of material you want to collect. These bins can go in trash corrals, guest laundry rooms or other common areas where your guests can take the materials for sorting into the appropriate bins.
• The County has specialized outdoor collection bin labels for your use, free of charge.

Step 4.Put a recycling flyer in each welcome packet and/or each rental unit.

• Pick the flyer version that matches your recycling program and the location of your rental (north, south, east or west shore). Since recycling “do’s and don’ts” vary greatly around the country, this will tell guests how it works on Kauaʻi. Regional versions make it easier for visitors to find the nearest recycling locations.
• The flyers for on-site collection have check boxes for typical bin locations. Flyers are in PDF format so they will print on one page no matter what printer is used. (To receive a Word document for typing in your own bin location, send an email to the address below.)
• Print color copies of the flyers and add them to your welcome packet or house notes. You could also put one on the kitchen counter, refrigerator or other visible place. Replace the in-unit flyers if they’re missing after guests check out.
• An extra word of encouragement from you at check-in will draw guests’ attention to your program and increase its likelihood of success.

Step 5.Tune up your effort and expand it, if possible.

• Especially at the beginning, ask guests, house cleaners and others for feedback so you can work out any program kinks. If many guests ask the same questions after reading the flyer, please let the County Recycling Office know so updated materials can be clearer.
• The County Recycling Office will distribute any flyer updates (e.g. new recycling locations or guidelines) by email once or twice a year. It will also post updates on its web site.
• Once your program is going smoothly, consider recycling other materials that make up the greatest volume of trash at your units. You may find opportunities for sharing the cost of collecting and transporting recyclables by working with nearby rentals or other businesses.
• Help expand vacation renter recycling by telling other property managers and condo associations about this program.