Okay, Thanksgiving is coming, and I am just as excited as you are. I’m counting down the days until I can relax with my family and eat all day. Mmm. I’m already ready to stuff my face with cornbread and pumpkin pie.
That being said, there is a lot more to the holidays than the joy. All of our wonderful traditions produce significant waste and excess.
“Household waste increases by more than 25% between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.” From all of the Thanksgiving leftovers to the special holiday Starbucks cups, to the decorations we can’t reuse, we begin taking out the trash much more often.
On average, every American produces 4.4 pounds of waste per day. Increasing this waste by 25% around the holidays means that for two months of the year, the average American is producing 5.5 pounds of waste per day. For the typical dorm room housing four people, this is 22 pounds of trash each day. That’s heavier than a bowling ball! Heavier than a two-year-old child! Heavier than a car tire! Imagine fitting a bowling ball or a car tire in your trash can every day!
It seems impossible that you are producing that much waste, doesn’t it? The tricky part is that you don’t have to fit all of this waste in your trash can in order for it to exist. Daily, we pass a lot of trash cans. We spread our waste everywhere we travel each day, so we don’t see the cumulative weight of it all, but that doesn’t mean our holiday waste isn’t adding up.
So what can we do about it? Do we have to give up the magic, warmth, and the indulgence of the holidays in order to reduce our waste?
The answer is no. Just. Plain. No. You can have your pumpkin pie and eat it too, I promise. Instead of giving up your favorite traditions, think twice about how you experience them!
Package Free Shop has some incredible statistics and helpful tips to aid all of you holiday lovers in being a bit more environmentally conscientious! “Approximately 200 million pounds of turkey, 150 million pounds of veggie sides, and 14 million pounds of dinner rolls will be thrown away after Thanksgiving!” WOAH! That’s a lot of pounds. Check out our holiday suggestions to maximize what you get out of your Thanksgiving meal.
While you wait for Thursday to come, check out Package Free Shop’s online store to access your sustainable holiday essentials.
Hosting Thanksgiving?
Before the day-of, ask your guests to bring their sides in reusable containers instead of on single-use plates with plastic wrap. This will reduce a lot of waste and make serving even easier. Another idea is to minimize your food dishes to a few of your favorites, instead of a little of everything. Ask your guests to focus on quality, rather than quantity, so there are fewer leftovers that end up going to waste. We find that guests are receptive to your suggestions, especially since you are the host!
Once the day has arrived, there are a few more things you can do to minimize your meal’s waste! When your guests are waiting to pile their plates with food, hand them a reusable plate, glass, napkin, and cutlery set, instead of ones that have to be thrown away after one use. Your Thanksgiving table will look much nicer, and there is a lot less trash!
After everyone has enjoyed their meal, send your guests home with leftovers in reusable containers. Your guests will be thrilled to get a few additional meals out of the delicious dishes, and I’m sure they will return your containers soon. If you don’t feel comfortable handing out your Tupperware, suggest that people bring their own. This also helps to reduce the amount of food your Thanksgiving meal wastes. For all the leftovers you keep to yourself (I don’t blame you for hoarding all the good stuff–that’s my tactic too), freeze the food! It will stay fresh longer, which means more food in your fridge and less in the trash! For any food that you must throw out, compost it! If you don’t have a compost bin, toss it in some dense bushes and watch your plants flourish!
Attending someone else’s Thanksgiving?
If you do decide to bring a side, be sure to bring it in a reusable container! This will cost you less since you don’t have to buy more of anything, and it will reduce your personal holiday waste. After your dish has been cleaned out (everyone loved your side, you good cook, you), fill your container with leftovers! This reduces food waste AND gets you another meal for the day after (when we all know you are still too full to actually cook)….
When it’s time to eat, ask your host for a reusable plate, glass, cutlery set, and napkin. Explain that you are trying to be less wasteful, and they will likely be receptive to your request. Then you keep single-use plastics out of the landfill and expose more people to reduced-waste living! So, so proud. If you feel nervous about asking for flatware, bring your own!
Thank you for being an eco-warrior. Practicing reduced-waste living may take some time, and you may make some mistakes. Don’t be too hard on yourself! The most important step is to care and try. You are already making progress. Best of luck with your Thanksgiving plans!