In the midst of festivities and holiday cheer, celebrate #NoWasteNovember. There are plenty of fun ways to avoid wasting during this holiday season, but here are some helpful tips to make this season greener:
- Use reusable bags for holiday shopping and groceries.
- Give gifts that don’t require much packaging or wrapping, like event tickets or gift cards.
- Don’t go overboard with holiday meals. Prevent that uncomfortable too-full feeling and reduce food scraps by cooking only what you and your guests can reasonably eat.
- Don’t peel or trim vegetables that will end up mashed or in a casserole.
- Combine vegetable tops and peels with water and herbs to make a tasty homemade stock that can be frozen for later use.
- Avoid recipes that call for small amounts of an ingredient that you can only buy in large amounts. Spices and specialty cheeses are examples of special occasion ingredients that can easily go to waste.
- Repurpose leftovers like toasting stuffing for tasty croutons, whip up savory pancakes with mashed potatoes, and spread cranberry sauce on bagels.
By reducing the amount of waste, litter, and household hazardous waste from over filling our trash bins, you can easily help protect our watershed!
