Thanksgiving Waste Tips

In a press release dated November 19^th, the National Resource Defense League reported that the largest day for food waste in the U.S. is just around the corner. This year, NRDC estimates that the equivalent of 10.5 million turkeys-worth of turkey meat will be thrown out over the Thanksgiving holiday. Trashed along with it are all the resources needed to get it to our plates. Producing one pound of turkey meat uses 520 gallons of water; that is equivalent to running your shower for 75 minutes. The greenhouse gas emissions from a pound of wasted turkey meat equal those from burning a half gallon of gasoline.

Food waste is also a year-round problem that costs the country approximately $382 billion and the average family about $3000 per year. With grocery prices skyrocketing and families struggling to get food on the table, preventing good food from going to waste is more important than ever.

I thought you might be interested in NRDC’s tips for how to make the holiday a little less wasteful. Let me know if you would like to interview any of NRDC’s food waste experts.

The NRDC suggested these tips for making the Thanksgiving holiday less wasteful:

1. Plan your portions: Think ahead and figure out just how much you need to prepare for your meal beforehand.

2. Shop with a list: Once you’ve planned out your portions, make sure to have a list when you do your shopping—and try to stick to it!

3. Get creative with your peels and scraps: When making a big holiday meal, there are lots of parts of food less commonly eaten that can be integrated into future meals. Keep a “stock bag” in the freezer to collect vegetables and meat trimmings to make a stock at a later date.

4. Get excited about leftovers: Every family has their own leftovers traditions. If you have guests, you can always send them home with leftovers too. Consider asking your guests to bring reusable containers.

5. Practice smart storage: Proper storage of food can increase its lifetime and reduce spoilage. For instance, the best way to save celery? In a glass on a shelf in your fridge.

6. Freeze before you toss. As the shelf life of your leftovers and surplus ingredients comes close to an end, consider popping them in the freezer before it’s too late. Freezing food is like hitting a pause button, nearly anything can be frozen and rediscovered for a dark winter night when you don’t have the energy to cook something from scratch.