The organization ReFED estimates that on Thanksgiving alone, 320 million pounds of food is wasted in the United States.
Household food waste and scraps make up the largest part of all trash in Wisconsin landfills.
Wisconsin DNR organics waste management specialist Erik Flesch says one of the best ways to prevent food from ending up in the landfill is planning your holiday meals more thoughtfully.
“If you're like me and sometimes tend to go overboard with the cooking for dinner parties at the holidays, a little planning can go a long way,” said Flesch.
Flesch says there are websites like savethefood.com that has calculator that helps you estimate how much food you’ll need based on your headcount.
He also encourages checking your pantry for food you may already have that you can work into your recipes.
Freezing or giving out leftovers to guests can also help cut down on waste.
“The best practice to maintain freshness and avoid freezer burn is to wrap food first in freezer paper and then to pop it in an airtight container or a zip top freezer bag with the air removed,” said Flesch.
Composting is also a great way to recycling food scraps.
Landfills in the U.S. made up about 14% of methane emissions in 2022. Wasted food causes more than half of the methane from these landfills.
