FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: 11/14/2018 Contact: Jane Wilch, Recycling Coordinator Phone 319-887-6110
Five ways to reduce your Thanksgiving Day waste
When hosting a large number of people for a meal, it’s easy to over prepare.
Consider these reduction tips when planning, cooking, and enjoying your delicious Thanksgiving meal.
1.) Plan your shopping list
Take a moment to plan your shopping list, only buying what you know you’ll use. This is especially important when purchasing perishable items like produce, dairy and meat.
Don’t forget your reusable shopping bags!
2.) Skip paper or plastic cutlery
Avoid using extra trash bags, use cloth napkins and reusable dishes. Recruit some of your guests to help with dishes.
3.) Take only what you’ll eat
On a holiday that is all about eating it’s easy for your eyes to grow bigger than your stomach. Be mindful of your serving size. Give yourself or ask for small portions. You can always go back for more!
4.) Don’t throw away food!
Eat it, or compost it.
If you have a lot of extra food, pack doggy bags for your guests and/or freeze extra food.
Compost food scraps like potato peels, eggshells and bones. If you receive curbside trash and recycling services from the City, you can compost at the curb.
If deep fat fried turkey is your thing – recycle the oil.
Place it in a sealed plastic bottle, label it ‘vegetable oil’ and drop it off in the Oil Recycling Shed at the East Side Recycling Center, 2401 Scott Blvd. SE, or at the Iowa City Landfill and Recycling Center, 3900 Hebl Ave. SW.
Glass is accepted at both locations, wine corks can be recycled at the East Side Recycling Center.
