Tips to Reduce Your Waste this Holiday Season
Between food waste and wasteful packaging, there is a lot of waste being produced these next few weeks. SWANA is giving you easy tips to make your Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday season more sustainable.
Leftovers. Leftovers. Leftovers.
Save your leftovers and turn them into something new and tasty! Turn your Thanksgiving dinner into turkey sandwiches or a casserole. There are plenty of recipes online to give you delicious ideas. To cut back on the amount of leftovers you have, figure out how many people will be going to Thanksgiving dinner and prepare servings based on that number.
Thanksgiving Compost
Save your food scraps or unwanted leftovers to create your own Thanksgiving compost. This is a great habit to get into before the holiday season starts.
Get Outside
Take advantage of the day and do something outside to get some fresh air. Take some time to recharge and relax.
Shopping
Carpool to stores to help cut down on traffic and carbon dioxide emissions. Bring reusable bags to hold your findings.
Hand-me-downs
Before you buy new clothes, donate ones you don't wear anymore. Shop at secondhand stores for some unique finds.
Repurpose
Before you shop, create something new from things you already have. There are plenty of DIYs to try that will keep you busy.
No matter what you do this Thanksgiving, remember the saying goes "reduce, reuse, recycle." Try reducing the amount of food or materials you buy and stick to what you need. Reuse decorations, silverware, and utensils. Check with your local municipalities and recycle what you can. Food scraps, clothing, and plastic bags should not go in your recycling bins. When in doubt, throw it out.
