Christmas is a time for celebration, but if you are an eco-conscious person, you might be concerned about the level of waste. We buy a lot of stuff, much of it made from non-recyclable plastics, and when the holidays are done, there is a lot of rubbish to deal with. A lot of the waste, like wrapping paper or cards, can be recycled. However, one thing that people often overlook is the amount of food waste that is created over the Christmas period.
We all overindulge a bit, and most of us are guilty of buying way more than we need. The thing is, food waste is a massive problem and if you want to reduce your impact over the Christmas period, you should take steps to tackle it. These are some of the best ways to manage food waste over Christmas.
Compost It
One of the best ways to use up leftover food is to compost it. All the food scraps and anything that doesn’t get eaten can be used to make compost. You can then use this in the garden and even consider growing your own veg with it, so you can reduce waste in the long term. You can find a quick guide on starting your own compost heap here if you haven’t done it before.
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Avoid Putting It Down The Drain
Putting food waste down the drain can cause no end of problems. By not washing any food scraps down the drain, you will help to keep your local area clean and reduce your impact on the environment. Putting food down the drain will also cause blockages, and you’ll end up having to call a blocked drains plumber to unclog it for you. So, anything that can’t go in the compost needs to be disposed of in the bin. Make sure to check whether your local authority has a specific food waste bin and use it if they do.
Plan Ahead
People waste so much food over Christmas because they buy way more than they need. Planning ahead is the best way to avoid this. Plan ahead for all of your recipes and work out exactly what you require. Think about full meals as well as any snacks that you will buy. When you are shopping, avoid the temptation to buy anything that is not on the list.
Buy Loose Vegetables
One way to reduce the amount of waste created from vegetables is to buy them loose instead of pre-packaged. This way, you can only buy what you require and there is no packaging waste. You might have to do a little more preparation when you get home, but it’s worth it for the sake of the environment.
Use Your Leftovers
If you have any leftovers from your Christmas feast, make sure to use them up. You can turn them into new dishes or freeze them for later. There is no need to let good food go to waste, so make the most of everything that you have. Check out these great ideas for using up Christmas leftovers.
The Christmas period is often a very wasteful time, but with a bit of forward planning, you can avoid food waste.
Image by RitaE
