Step 1: Implement the Plastic Free Places ‘Reusable Hotels’ guide We’ve developed a series of plastic free guides for other sectors within the tourism industry, including hotels.  The information in the hotels guide is also relevant to island resorts. It contains information and guidance around how to implement a reusable project across hotel operations - including guest accommodation (rooms), food and beverage, lobbies, gyms and pools, and events. If you’d like to extend your plastic free switches to other areas of your resort’s operations, you can access the Hotel Guide here.

Step 1: Implement the Plastic Free Places ‘Reusable Events’ guide Another guide that you may find useful is our ‘Reusable Events’ guide. This guide covers how to switch to reusables in the context of one off or recurring events. It covers elements such as suitable reusable foodware for events, wash-up options, and water refill stations. If your resort hosts events often - this is the guide for you. You can access it here.

Step 1: Familiarise yourself with the items in a borrow kit A Guest Borrow Program centres around a Guest Borrow Kit that you will provide to your guests for the duration of their stay. Typically placed in guest rooms, each kit contains a reusable cup, reusable water bottle and a reusable bag. Guests are able to take these reusable items with them on outings outside the resort. Items should be selected for durability and ease of cleaning, and you may also like to choose items that align with your resort’s aesthetic. Take a look at the examples of good reusable design that we’ve provided in Action 3 of this guide. At the end of their stay, guests leave the reusable items in their room for cleaning, sanitising and reuse. If you find these items are popular, it can be a good idea to stock some that can be purchased by guests. Step 2: Decide which items to provide to guests What you decide to stock in your Guest Borrow Kit is up to you! It will depend on your location (i.e. proximity to cafes), whether you are self-contained or embedded in a wider community, and your guest preferences. To get an idea of what your guests would use most, you could conduct surveys either onsite, or via your newsletter. We’ve developed an Action Plan template to help you make decisions and plan out your Guest Borrow Kit. Step 3: Source items Reusable cups, water bottles and bags are all widely available through suppliers, online or in retail stores. They come in all sorts of shapes, sizes, materials and price points. Some can even be branded with your resort’s logo. It is recommended that you prioritise durability and cleanliness when sourcing these items. Refer to our examples of good reusable design for help with this. Step 4: Put up signage A common barrier to guests using reusable items can be that they don’t know they are there, or they don’t know how the system works. Signage is a great way to overcome this.  Be sure to include instructions on how the project works on signage in your guest’s room. It is also a good idea to have this information available virtually prior to your guests’s arrival and during their stay - this can be done via booking confirmation emails and on your internal entertainment system. There are some good examples of signage and flyers provided at the bottom of this page. Step 5: Develop cleaning and stocking protocols, and staff responsibilities The items in your Guest Borrow Kit will need to be cleaned and sanitised at the end of each guest’s stay. This may be an additional task for your housekeeping team, and it’s important to make sure they receive training and support for this additional step. Occasionally, reusable items may get broken or lost. Ensure that protocols are put in place for checking the state of reusable items at the end of each stay, and putting in orders for new items with your procurement manager. Step 6: Implement borrow program You’re now ready to implement your guest Borrow program! Be sure to regularly check-in with your staff for feedback and improvement suggestions, making changes as required along the way.

Step 1: Provide reusables for live-in staff Ensure staff living on-site are issued with a reusable kit for meals and drinks. Consider providing staff lockers for this purpose.  Include your staff reusable initiative in your onboarding with all new team members and add it to the agenda of management meetings.  Step 2: Implement the Plastic Free Places ‘Reusable Workplaces’ Guide Utilising behaviour change principles helps new sustainable behaviours to ‘stick’. Our Reusable Workplaces Guide has been developed to help workplaces assist their staff in making the switch to reusable foodware. Our guide contains a range of resources and tools that you can use to encourage your staff to prioritise reusables over single-use. You might like to consider implementing all or part of our guide. You can find it here.

By introducing a compost stream, you can significantly reduce waste-to-landfill and contribute to a more sustainable resort culture. Is your island resort suitable for a compost stream? Questions to consider include: Is there a waste contractor that offers compost collection services to your island? Is there a local composter or community garden that can accept compostable waste, including food and compostable packaging? Are you committed to ensuring all foodware at the resort is reusable or certified compostable packaging? If not, contamination will be a major issue. Are you willing to clearly communicate composting requirements to food service operators and guests? Do you have the resources to regularly check bin stations and guide guests in proper waste disposal? Step 1: Decide how compostable materials will be collected and processed There are three main options available for resorts, and this will be dependant on your location. Hire a waste contractor that offers a compost collection Check with your existing waste contractor to see if they offer compost collection.  Purchase an onsite composting apparatus or dehydrator.  The resultant compost can be used on your garden beds, creating circularity and reducing cost of waste volume shipped off the island.  Lady Elliott Island has an OSCA on-site composter, read about their experience here Another option is a dehydrator, like Enrich360 Partner with a community compost program Some community gardens or local compost co-ops accept compost. Ensure that the receiving facility is willing to accept compostable packaging, as some only accept food scraps. If so, all your packaging will need to meet a recognised home compost standard. Step 2: Plan for compost collection Work with your waste contractor to: Arrange for the storing of compostable materials emptied from bins and transport to the appropriate facility. Check the acceptable contamination requirements of the composter - some of them will reject compost that doesn't meet their requirements. If allowing single-use packaging, check the specific compost standards your composter requires.  Step 3: Work with vendors to ensure compliant packaging Reusables should always be prioritised over single-use packaging. However, if you do still have single-use items at your resort, ensure they are certified compostable. Work closely with food service providers to ensure compliance. Key actions: Set clear expectations Include the requirements in your policy and agreements, and communicate these to food service providers well in advance. Offer sourcing assistance If needed, provide guidance on local suppliers, and/or offer food service providers a list of compliant options to simplify the process for them. Verify packaging in advance Verify that vendors are using the correct packaging. Conduct regular inspections Monitor food service provider compliance and ensure only approved packaging is in use. Step 4: Ensure health and safety compliance Ensure composting practices comply with local health regulations. If needed, consult with your local council to address potential concerns. Step 5: Waste station placement Place compost bins together with your other waste streams. It is important to keep these together, otherwise your compost bin will be contaminated. Step 6: Create signage and communication Many resorts underestimate the importance of signage, leading to confusion amongst guests. Common mistakes include: Relying on the bins themselves as signage. This is usually inadequate, especially if a compost stream is being added. Not having enough signage; the more, the better. Effective signage: Uses full bin covers rather than just labels. Display large signs behind bin stations. Clearly indicate what belongs in each bin. If possible, attach physical samples of the exact compostable items used. If physical samples are not feasible, use images of the exact items being used rather than generic compostable product images. In addition, you can provide communication to guests (via booking systems and/or QR codes), educating them on the composting system. Step 7: Monitor waste stations (where possible) Reduce contamination: Ideally, get staff to occasionally check bin stations to help guests identify the right bins to use. This significantly reduces contamination and helps foster positive conversations around waste reduction. Staff should be trained on waste sorting and engaging with guests about the importance of the compost system. Check bin levels: Have a plan to ensure all bins are frequently checked and emptied.  Step 8: Evaluation and feedback Ask your waste contractor to provide the breakdown of your waste streams (usually in kg) to assess the effectiveness of your composting stream. Ask your composter for information on your contamination levels and identify if there are any areas for improvement. Gather feedback from staff and guests to identify how future compost streams could be improved.

Collaboration is key to creating long-term, sustainable change. Working together with nearby resorts, tour operators, and transport providers can help to strengthen your program and increase your overall impact. Pooling resources can make reusables and infrastructure more affordable and accessible. Joint promotion can strengthen your region’s reputation as a leader in sustainable tourism. Step 1: Connect with potential partners Start by gaining an understanding of who operates in your region. Other resorts, cafes, tour companies, ferry services and local councils are great potential partners. When you reach out to them, share what you’re doing and invite them to collaborate. How you collaborate will depend on the organisation you are connecting with. For example, you may be able to partner with cafes to offer discounts to guests who bring their reusables. Or you could work with ferry services to have return bins at their terminals for guests who have forgotten to return their cups or containers at your resort. Step 2: Bulk buy or share logistics If there are other tourism operators in your area who are also making the switch to reusables, you may like to consider ordering reusable foodware or refill systems together to reduce freight costs and packaging waste. Step 3: Cross promote initiatives Cross promotion helps to increase your reach, as well as your potential partners. Consider working with other tourism operators to feature each other’s reusable projects on websites, social media, or guest newsletters. Step 4: Host joint events or plastic free challenges Events and challenges are a fantastic way to generate excitement about reusables and kick-start behaviour change. They are much easier to organise and manage when there are multiple parties involved. Some examples you could consider include running “Island Reuse Week” or a friendly “Reusable Cup Challenge” to engage guests and staff across multiple sites. Step 5: Share infrastructure Sharing infrastructure helps to make switching to reusables more affordable for both parties. Where possible, coordinate deliveries, waste collection, or wash-up facilities to maximise efficiency.