Christmas is one of those times of year when we all go a bit extra than the usual party. It’s the time for everyone to get involved and there are so many great opportunities to gather around and eat delicious food, unwrap presents, order gifts that contain lots of packaging, and decorate our homes with little festive touches. As lovely as it is however, there is a huge amount of waste produced across many households. Over-catering occurs, wrapping paper that’s not recyclable gets thrown out, unwanted gifts get discarded and last-minute panic means chaos in terms of over buying items that we will never use. Sound familiar? Well, this year, why not let’s make a change however small. Follow my tips on how to waste less this festive season below.
Donate Your Food
If you are planning on going away during the festive season, why not donate your leftover food rather than throwing out perfectly in date fridge items? There is an app called OLIO where you can take a photo of what you have at home and someone will come and take it off your hands. You can meet them in a public place if you prefer too. It’s SUCH a great way to make sure someone else benefits from your food and it doesn’t get wasted. So much food is wasted these days, and this is such a shame as it has huge environmental impacts.
Plan Out Your Meals And Make A Shopping List
Rather than going on a sporadic Christmas shopping spree, make a list of the meals you will require and always under buy rather than over buy if you are unsure you are going to need a meal one night. The shops are only closed for a short time so things should be OK. Rather than doing one epic Christmas shop, why not order a few small shops so you have space in your fridge. Make sure your freezer has space in it too. It may be worth buying a mini freezer to store extra things in for these times of year if you are really desperate!
Have A Leftovers Party
Why not team up with the neighbours and make it a yearly tradition to use up all your leftovers? It could be a fun way of having a little tapas evening with everyone’s contributions. Something that would not have made a meal itself might be turned into a valuable part of another meal.
Buy Frozen And Store Cupboard Food For Unexpected Guests
Rather than buy lots of fresh canapes for unexpected guests that will go past their use by date, stock up on frozen and store cupboard items with a good life span on them. These can be eaten after Christmas if necessary and it also stops the fridge getting too cluttered.
Less Is More
Rather than piling the plates full at dinner time and people not finishing their food, make the portions smaller. People can always add more to their plate if they are still hungry.
Don’t Cram The Fridge Full
Rather than cramming the fridge full of food, try to be able to at least see what you have bought. If you can’t see what’s in your fridge, things get forgotten about and then wasted.
What are your ideas for wasting less food? I hope you enjoyed my tips!
