Be Thankful For an Emptier Garbage Bin after Thanksgiving is Over

The holiday season is about giving… but it doesn’t have to be about wasting. 

A recent study from the Natural Resources Defense Council's food and agriculture program, found that  Americans discard 40% of the food supply every year, and the average American family of four ends up throwing away an equivalent of up to $2,275 annually in food. 

Receiving Floor - Western Placer Material Recovery Facility

The average family produces about 25% more garbage waste between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, according to the EPA. 

Waste is bad for the environment, but it's also bad for your pocketbook.  Here are some tips to save money and make less waste.

Planning and Shopping

• Plan your menu, and don’t overbuy on portion size – remember there are many side plates for special meals, so it is likely that each person will take smaller portion of many dishes.  Love Food, Hate Waste has a portion planner calculator here. which can help you plan appropriate meal portions.
• When shopping, make a list and stick to it.  Don’t be tempted to add more items to your cart. 
• Plastic Free Thanksgiving tips can be found here.

One the day of Thanksgiving, here are a few ways to make less waste:

• Go with the real plates, silverware, glasses and cups.
• Store leftovers safely.  In my family – we all bring a few containers that we can take home with extra turkey, etc.
• Not part of the clean plate club?  Consider composting those scraps.
• Sure you cannot eat one more serving of leftovers?  Check out these creative leftover recipes here.

I’m looking forward to spending a day with my family, and am thankful for all that we have, and will try very hard not to be wasteful!