It’s time to salute all the Turkey Day hosts out there! From home decoration to meal planning, a lot goes into hosting a Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving meal.
It’s also a reality of the holiday season that waste increases during this period by anywhere from 25% to 43%! Trying to reduce this wastefulness is just one more thing that our hardworking hosts have to deal with. So to help make dealing with environmental concerns a little easier, here are two easy Turkey Day tips you can adopt to make Thanksgiving more eco-friendly:
Lots of Leftovers
Where there are large gatherings, there’s lots of food. And where there’s lots of food, there’ll be lots of leftovers. Don’t let yourself get blindsided by a mountain of uneaten fare; keep these tips in mind when planning your get-together.
Encourage guests to take home leftovers – Sometimes, there’s just too much food to fit in your fridge. Encourage your guests to take some home – ‘tis the season of giving, after all. Make the process even easier by either encouraging guests to bring their own leftover containers or have some extra on hand that you don’t mind parting with.
Browse through holiday leftover recipes – Even after careful planning and some gracious giving to your guests, you’ll surely still have food left over. But, that should be no cause for concern. With the ever-increasing number of ingenious ways to repurpose leftovers, “Leftovers are lame” is a tired way to think.
Choose Reusable Cutlery
Obviously, the best cutlery and kitchenware to use are durables that can be reused over and over like stainless steel utensils, ceramic plates, and glass cups. However, when you simply can’t bust out the good kitchenware and need to opt for single-use, here are some tips.
Use compostable flatware – Single-use plastic foodware often ends up in our landfills! Instead use compostable to-go paper-based or pulped foodware. Wood utensils, corn husks and leaves are all readily available. Aluminum foil is good too!
Plastic can be reused – Sometimes plastic is all you have on hand. Or maybe you’ve just got a pile of plastic plates and containers in reserve somewhere. Don’t forget, plastic dishes and utensils can be cleaned and reused just like any other eating implements – just check to make sure your plastic plate is dishwasher-safe before putting it in.
As the holiday season approaches, it’s good to have fun, but let’s be mindful of the environmental impact that often accompanies celebrations. By adopting eco-friendly practices, we can significantly reduce waste. What waste-reduction eco-tips do you have to share? Send them to us at lastormwater@lacity.org. Let’s make this holiday season both joyful and eco-friendly. Happy Thanksgiving!
