When we’re at home putting the bins and recycling out can sometimes be a chore. However it is certainly made easier than dealing with your holiday home waste by being there most of the time. Holiday homeowners often live a long distance from their holiday letting property, or perhaps only have the capacity to visit infrequently. So with this in mind how do you keep on top of your holiday home waste collection; and what are your obligations?
What are your obligations with respect to dealing with your holiday home waste?
By law, all businesses are required to take ‘all reasonable steps to ensure their waste is kept safe’; and when removed is ‘handled by a contractor authorised to collect, transfer, recycle or dispose of it safely.’
Unfortunately, waste disposal isn’t included within business rates. This is because it’s deemed fairer to charge businesses individually based on the quantity and type of waste they produce.
Is a holiday home a business?
The question is therefore, as a holiday cottage owner, are you a business?
The Controlled Waste (England and Wales) Regulations 2012 indicates that holiday lets and self-catering accommodation providers do qualify as a business. Therefore for the purpose of holiday home waste collection, holiday let owners should pay for a commercial waste service.
Full collection and disposal charges are applicable unless you receive the small business rates relief. It’s worth noting that many individual holiday lets do qualify; in which case you would only need to pay for the collection of the waste from your holiday cottage.
The benefits of commercial waste collection
There are a few benefits to having your holiday home waste collected commercially; such as
- compliance with the waste regulations
- increasing the frequency of collection during peak periods
- matching collections to fit in on or before your changeover days
Saving money and increasing participation in recycling
When paying for your waste to be collected it goes without saying that in order to reduce costs, it’s important for you to reduce the amount of waste generated by your property.
But how do you actually do that in practice? The answer is recycling although you’ll need to be savvy in getting your guests engaged when on holiday.
Although most of us will now recycle at home, attitudes can sometimes slip when we’re wanting to relax. Therefore making it as easy and simple as possible for your guests is vital to increasing their participation.
Clearly labeled or perhaps coloured containers are a must to make sure they know exactly what goes where. Also consider where you position them and if you welcome families into your cottage, whether it can be turned into a game to get everyone involved.
How do I organise a holiday home waste collection?
For more information on refuse collection please contact your local council for details of commercial waste contractors. Expect to pay a fee for a supply of commercial waste sacks and agree your collection days. It’s a good idea to make it clear to your guests when your holiday home waste and recycling will be collected and ask them politely if they will put the bags out in good time on the allocated day.
If you’d like to discuss how our specialist holiday home insurance can ensure your property has the cover it needs, please give our experienced team a call on 01237 429444.
