Less waste, more feasting with these eco-friendly Thanksgiving tips

By Sarita Harbour
Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks and celebrate abundance, yet it can also mean excess waste. This year, make simple, eco-friendly changes to reduce environmental impact while enjoying a festive celebration. Whether you’re new to sustainability or already making eco-conscious choices, use these practical tips to ensure your Thanksgiving is meaningful and mindful.
Thanksgiving feasts generate a lot of food and, with that, much waste. Plan to make your food prep more eco-friendly.
One of the easiest ways to reduce waste is to avoid cooking too much food. Calculate portions ahead of time based on your guest count. This will limit leftovers that might end up uneaten.
While turkey may seem synonymous with Thanksgiving, you could also reduce your environmental impact by opting for a smaller bird or introducing a few plant-based dishes to balance the meal. Think roasted root vegetables, hearty casseroles and protein-rich sides like quinoa and beans.
Shopping locally for Thanksgiving has several benefits when planning your eco-friendly holiday meal. “Buying locally sourced ingredients from farmers markets will reduce your carbon footprint,” says Mandy Applegate of Hungry Cooks Kitchen. “You support local farmers, and the produce will often be fresher.”
Focus on readily available fall produce. This may include squash, corn, sweet potatoes and cranberries.
To host a more sustainable Thanksgiving feast, consider how your gathering can reduce waste beyond food. Here are some short hacks.
Instead of buying additional seats or serving wares, consider borrowing from friends or renting items for the day. This reduces the number of things to store or dispose of after the holiday.
Skip disposable plates, cups and cutlery. Opt for reusable dinnerware and glassware instead. If you don’t have enough, ask guests to bring their own, turning the table setting into a fun mix-and-match affair.
When cooking multiple dishes, use the oven efficiently by baking several items at once to save energy. In addition, consider using a slow cooker that uses less electricity than an oven. Cook stuffing, simmer vegetables or bake dessert in your slow cooker.
Thanksgiving decorations can add charm to your festivities, but they don’t have to be wasteful. For eco-friendly Thanksgiving decorations, make your own by selecting reusable items in Thanksgiving colors. “Decorating with seasonal natural foliage helps to avoid plastic waste and pollution and creates a new tradition,” says Applegate.
Instead of buying plastic or single-use decorations, Applegate suggests foraging to create DIY natural decorations. “Gather leaves, pinecones, acorns or dried flowers to decorate the table,” she suggests. You could also arrange gourds and pumpkins for an autumn display. After Thanksgiving, compost these items.
Invest in reusable entertainment items like Thanksgiving-themed cloth napkins, table runners and ceramic dishes. Use these items year after year to reduce the need for disposable plates and paper decorations that could end up in the local landfill site. “Fabric scraps make perfect napkin rings,” says Applegate, “and you can encourage the whole family to get involved and help decorate the table, creating lasting family memories.”
Even with the best planning, Thanksgiving celebrations will generate some waste. Here’s how to deal with it effectively.
Create a compost station for your guests to discard vegetable peelings and other food scraps. Composting helps to reduce food waste that would otherwise end up in a landfill.
Set up clearly labeled bins for recycling bottles, cans and other packaging. Make sure guests know where to dispose of recyclable materials. Keep food waste separate to avoid contamination.
Leftovers are often the highlight of Thanksgiving but don’t need to be repetitive or boring. Try these ideas to make your post-feast meals exciting and reduce waste.
Use leftover turkey to create quick turkey cranberry pinwheel wraps for lunch the next day. Add some fresh greens, cranberry sauce and a tortilla for a light and tasty meal.
Use leftover puree to bake a batch of pumpkin biscotti. Enjoy this crunchy treat with coffee, or give it as a homemade gift.
Leftover roasted sweet potatoes can be reinvented in a delicious twist on fajitas. Pair them with bell peppers, onions and spices, and serve up sweet potato fajitas with lime sauce for a quick fall dinner.
An eco-friendly Thanksgiving requires planning and consideration of what to buy, how to prepare it and what to do with the leftovers. Incorporate a few of these eco-friendly Thanksgiving tips and small changes to help contribute to a more sustainable lifestyle and encourage a spirit of gratitude in your guests.
Sarita Harbour is a long-time business and personal finance writer. She created Recipes From Leftovers to help home cooks save money and reduce waste by turning leftovers into tasty dishes.