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Five Ways to Reduce Food Waste Over the Holiday Season
Posted November 12, 2020The time between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day is filled with copious amounts of eggnog, time spent with family, and food—a lot of food. It should come as no surprise to anyone, during this time, household waste increases significantly. Here are five simple steps that will help you reduce food waste, while also supporting your local community.
1. Plan Your Meal
One of, if not the, leading contributors to holiday food waste is simply making too much food. It’s not rocket science, simply calculate how much you anticipate each of your guests will eat, make appropriate adjustments for children, and you’re off to the races. There are several online resources for configuring portion sizes if you’re unsure.
2. Minimize Disposables
If you’re having more people over than you have dishes for and renting isn’t an option, look into purchasing compostable plates and cutlery. Also, checking out a local dollar store might be worth the trip.
3. Serve Tap or Filtered Tap Water
By offering your guests tap water, or filtered tap water, you’re not only going to save money, but you’re also going to keep your recycling bin empty at the same time.
4. Divvy Up Leftovers to Guests
By distributing leftovers evenly, to those in attendance, you won’t be bogging down 1 or 2 families with excessive amounts of food and you won’t be stuck eating the same thing for a week’s time. This will increase the chances of more food being in bellies and not in the garbage.
5. Donate Excess
If you’re left with any extra canned or dry food, why not donate it? A lot of the food that is consumed between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve is seasonal, so why not let others in need enjoy it while it’s relevant?
