The holidays bring us together to enjoy food with one another and tend to leave us with lots of leftovers! The State DEC has passed along the following tips to help reduce the amount of food that gets thrown away during the holidays.
Enjoying Every Bite of Our Food
- Get an accurate head count to help you plan ahead and not overcook.
- Use imperfect produce in cooked dishes, such as bruised apples for apple pie or applesauce.
- Share leftovers with friends and family and ask them to bring reusable containers for leftovers.
- Get creative with your leftovers to create new snacks or meals. Explore recipes to reinvent your leftovers.
- Be realistic about the leftovers you can eat and freeze the extra.
Reusables Over Single-Use
We encourage you to skip the single-use items and opt for reusables. When hosting meals you can ask guests to bring their own reusable containers for leftovers, or you can repurpose reusable takeout containers. Using secondhand or reusable serving dishes and serving spoons is another great way to opt for reusables. If you can’t use all reusables this holiday season, that’s okay- try your best to limit single use where you can. Every little bit helps to reduce waste!
Holiday Decorations
To avoid adding to the landfill this holiday season, we encourage you to extend the lifespan of your holiday decorations.
Be sure to account for the decorations you already own before going to the store to purchase new (or secondhand!) decorations.
If adding to your holiday collection, instead of adding trendy items, choose timeless, durable decorations that can be reused every year. By using quality reusable decorations, we reduce waste and can create traditions.
