5 Ways To Make Your Thanksgiving More Sustainable

With Thanksgiving around the corner, now is a great time to think about how you can make your Turkey Day more sustainable.

Here are 5 tips from the experts at WasteNot on how to reduce waste this Thanksgiving

1 - Plan Your Shopping List

Make a shopping list to reduce the chance you will buy more than you need before going to the grocery store or ordering food online.

Coordinating in advance with your group on who is cooking which dish can also help to reduce excess food from being produced at your meal.

2 - Limit Disposables

Where you can, opt for reusable service-ware and get creative with what you have for your table setting!

If that is not possible, look for more sustainable options such as 100% paper plates, paper napkins, and BPI-certified compostable utensils. WasteNot accepts all BPI-certified compostable plastics in our compost collection receptacles.

You can also purchase certified compostables in the WasteNot Shop.

3 - Make Leftover Kits

Prior to your friends and family leaving for the evening, be sure to put together some leftover kits for them to bring home and enjoy over the next few days.

Use reusable storage containers or compostable gallon size bags to make transporting the leftover kits even more sustainable.

Check out this article on how to prepare leftover kits.

4 - Freeze Or Make Soup

Place any leftovers in freezer-safe reusable storage containers with the date marked to enjoy it at a future date.

If your freezer does not have room, consider making soup with any compostable scraps you can give a second life and a second meal.

5- Donate Or Compost

If you have any extra canned goods, consider donating them to a local food bank or food pantry like Common Pantry.

For any scraps created during the cooking process or any remaining on plates at the end of the evening, compost them with WasteNot Compost. WasteNot members can order one-time, additional compost buckets in the WasteNot Shop prior to hosting Thanksgiving dinner.

Check the full list of compostable items that are compostable with WasteNot here.