It’s another busy summer weekend at your seaside hotel. Rooms are booked, the pool is packed, and the kitchen is bustling. But suddenly you notice an issue – the skip bins are overflowing with garbage. Guests are complaining about the unsightly and smelly piles of waste. Clearly it’s time to reevaluate your skip bin sizes and skip bin dimensions.
Waste management is an important but often overlooked factor for hotels. Undersized bins lead to overflowing messes and extra pickup costs. Oversized bins waste money on unused capacity. So how do you determine the optimal skip bin setup?
In this article, we’ll break down the key steps for calculating appropriate skip bin sizes for smooth hotel waste management operations. Let’s take out the guesswork and ensure your property has the perfect skips to maintain cleanliness and service.
Estimate Peak Occupancy and Guest Counts
The number of guests directly impacts waste volumes. Analyze past occupancy data to determine average and peak guest counts for your property. Factor in future growth projections too. More guests equals more garbage. Accurate guest estimates allow properly sized bins.
Review Historical Waste Generation Rates
Check waste hauling invoices to calculate average waste pounds per occupied room per day. Additionally, approximate output of any onsite restaurants, pools, event venues, etc. Historical generation rates combined with occupancy estimates will determine base waste volumes to plan for.
Factor in Seasonality
Waste generation fluctuates seasonally with occupancy variances. Summer peak months may produce 50% more waste than winter low seasons. Factor seasonality into capacity planning. For example, size for peak seasons, but add pickups in low seasons to compensate for larger bins.
Determine Pickup Frequency Options
Coordinate with waste haulers to identify potential pickup frequencies – daily, twice weekly, weekly, etc. More frequent service allows smaller bins; less frequent needs larger capacity. Choose the optimal pickup cadence to right-size bins without overpaying hauling fees.
Estimate Offsite Restaurant Waste
Many guests dine at nearby restaurants, generating offsite waste that ends up in hotel skips. Consult with neighboring restaurants to project this additional waste influx. Accommodating offsite waste keeps dumpster areas tidy while supporting local businesses.
Calculate Capacity Needed Per Pickup
With peak occupancy estimates and waste generation rates, calculate total waste volume between pickups. Add extra capacity as a buffer. This determines the minimum bin size needed per pickup cycle. Always round up for extra wiggle room.
Consider Waste Stream Separation
Many hotels separate waste streams into landfill trash, recyclables, compost, etc. Determine if different waste types should have distinct bins and calculations. Diverting recyclables reduces landfill waste, but requires accurate projections of each stream.
Allow Expected Waste Growth Space
Hotel waste volumes will gradually increase over time. Seek bins that have some extra unused capacity to accommodate future growth before needing bin upsizing. Avoid continually buying new bins. Seek skips with 2-3 years of size growth allowance.
Regularly Audit and Adjust
Periodically evaluate actual waste versus capacity to tweak plans as needed. Growth, seasonality changes, events, etc may require adjustments over time. Consistently right-sized bins reduce headaches and costs through attentive capacity management. Stay on top of it.
Conclusion
With smart capacity planning using these steps, your hotel waste management operations will run smoothly year-round. No more overflowing eyesores or hauling emergency pickups. Just clear and tidy dumpsters optimally sized for your property’s unique needs.