I babysit for quite a few tourists. Tourists are on vacation and have little interest or incentive to take the time to sort their “trash.” (Obsessive as I am, I have been known to take recyclable materials home with me.) They don’t know that our dump site will fill up within the foreseeable future, and, frankly, they do not care. 

They will not be paying for finding a new site, having environmental impact studies and all that this will involve. Most condos, VRBOs, AirBnBs have double trash cans — one for trash, one for recyclables. Unfortunately, these are not usually labeled, though condo associations are lauded for providing them.

There is also a great deal of confusion about what can and cannot be recycled. In addition, I have seen resort employees throw both bags of recyclables and trash bags in the same trash bin. There is a lot of work to be done here educating local workers as well as tourists and residents about what can be recycled and in what condition.

Recyclables should be clean. Sadly, I do not think most tourists will care if their pizza boxes have grease stains or cheese caked on them or if their plastics have been rinsed. Resorts and condo associations could do quite a bit to educate by increasing signage. I also think that a modest renter’s fee to go into a fund for a new dump would be appropriate. (Yes, I can hear people complaining.)

Educating locals can help too. There are far too many locals who still do not feel the need to recycle. These are the same people who will be screaming about raising trash rates or taxes when we need a new dump. The time to educate is now.