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10 Ways to Reduce Food Waste During the Holidays

It’s estimated that up to 40% of the food produced in the US is wasted. That’s an immense amount of energy and resources gone to waste. We emit carbon dioxide in the production, transportation, and even disposal of food.

Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, Americans throw out an estimated 25 percent more trash than the rest of the year. During Thanksgiving alone, about 200 million pounds of turkey, 400 million pounds of mashed potatoes, and 300 million pounds of stuffing will be thrown away. By fighting food waste, we are reducing carbon emissions and saving money! Consider these 10 ways to reduce food waste during the holidays.

Plan Ahead

You know that I’m a big fan of a good plan and Thanksgiving is no exception. To get everything out at the same time is a well orchestrated dance. So, why not do a little extra planning to make sure there aren’t loads of leftovers? Ask yourself these questions.

How many people are you serving?
How many dishes are you making?
Realistically, how many days are you willing to eat these leftovers?
What are my guests bringing?
Do I really need this many sides?

I know the last one is tough for people since we all love our sides but being realistic about how much people can eat and how many items you can actually prepare will help prevent food waste and exhaustion!

Buy Only What You Need

Since it’s the biggest meal of the year, it’s easy to go overboard. But keeping the dinner realistic will help prevent waste. Your guest will also bring something so don’t add on extras at the last minute.

Use the Scraps

Don’t throw away your vegetable and fruit scraps! Use the vegetable scraps to make a veggie broth or veggie chips. Use the fruit scraps to make some apple cider vinegar, fruit infused vodka or to add a little sweetness to your tea. I like to use apple cores to sweeten my tea!

Bring a Container for Leftovers

If you’re heading over to a loved one’s house, bring a container for leftovers. This way you won’t have to return their container or use a plastic baggie. My family used to go through an entire box of plastic baggies each Thanksgiving portioning all the leftovers to the different households. Save on the plastic waste and put a container or two in your car.

Reinvent Leftovers

If you’re not a fan of leftovers, then reinvent them! One of my favorite things to do is to make mini turkey sandwiches when we visit my sister-in-law. She makes these delicious parker house rolls. I spread some of the delicious cheeseball my mother-in-law makes with some cranberry sauce and turkey. It’s so yummy. I think I enjoy these mini sandwiches more than Thanksgiving meal itself!

Here are some other leftover ideas:

Freeze Leftovers

If you love leftovers but have way too much, freeze individual portions for a delicious Thanksgiving meal a few weeks or months from now! Make sure to use an airtight freezer safe container to keep the food fresh.

Store Food Properly

Speaking of keeping food fresh, storing food properly is one of the best ways to prevent food waste. How many times have you tossed soggy lettuce or rock hard French bread? It’s ok. It happens to the best of us. But storing food properly gives you enough time to actually eat your food! Here are a few tips:

Freeze sliced bread if it won’t be used in the next few days (the fridge dries it out)
Store onions and potatoes at room temperature far away from each other (they are mortal enemies)
Store herbs like fresh cut flowers, in a small cup of water
Don’t wash berries before storing them, wash before eating them
Keep a dish towel in the crisper to absorb moisture and catch rotting leaves
Avocadoes on the counter to ripe; in the fridge if already ripe
Bananas on the counter
Tomatoes on the counter
Cheese in airtight silicone bags

For more, check out this article.

Share With Neighbors or Co-Workers

If you have way too many rolls or extra pie, share it with a neighbor or bring it to the office. Let’s be honest, food in the office goes insanely fast. Instead of letting it spoil at home, bring it to the office where it can brighten someone else’s day.

Donate Extras

For any leftover cans of pumpkin puree, cranberry sauce, or boxes of stuffing, be sure to donate it to a food pantry. This is a much better option than letting it gather dust and expire in the back of your pantry.

Compost

Finally, if all else fails, be sure to compost any uneaten or spoiled food. When food is sent to the landfill, it decomposes in an airless environment. It’s airless because the trash gets layered and compacted. When food rots in an airless environment it releases methane which is 25 times more potent a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. And when you compost scraps, it provides nutrients to the soil!