Most of you reading this article probably have at least one relative that uses the coined phrase “Eat your […]. There are children starving in Africa.” I know I do. My father’s question this Thanksgiving made me wonder: how much food is actually wasted in America over the year or even just over the holidays?
I enjoy Thanksgiving, and I love the food and family that it brings, but at the end of it all, I know I could have not taken so much because I do not even finish my plate. As I headed toward the garbage to throw it away, I looked in the trash to realize that the once empty bag had been replaced with an overflowing amount of pie crust, stuffing and turkey remains and the occasional half-eaten roll amid the bent plates, silverware, and paper cups.
I questioned both my siblings and parents whether or not they noticed the waste. My younger siblings stated, “no not really. I mean yes, we throw stuff away, but we don’t think it’s that much.”
My parents, on the other hand, exclaimed instantly “Yes we do, which is why we teach you kids to recycle and only take what you can eat.” They went on to mention that with a large group of people over it is hard to monitor and keep waste down.
Not everyone is as conscious of the amount of food Americans waste, but they need to be.
According to RecycleWorks.org, during the holidays from Thanksgiving to New Years household waste in America increases by 25%: “It all adds up to an additional 1 million tons a week to our landfills.” For food alone “at least 28 billion pounds of edible food are wasted each year – equating to over 100 pounds per person.”
That is a ridiculous amount of food.
I have some tips to help keep waste down when having guests over for dinner.
1. First off, determine how many people you will be supporting and then decide on a reasonable amount of food to cook. Many people cook too much.
2. When sampling many foods, take small servings. Even just using smaller plates should encourage the people to take smaller servings.
3. Have people self-serve. They should know their limits and know how much or what they want to eat.
4. Keep leftovers or send some home with guests. Do not just throw it away because it is cold.
5. Finally, there is the old classic. You could recycle and compost. This is not always an option but if you can, it will avoid having waste just sitting in landfills for hundreds of years before decomposing.