The United States Ecology Center estimates a 25 percent increase in waste delivered to landfills between Thanksgiving and New Year’s – including both food and non-food waste. The Center estimates that uneaten food waste amounts to millions of dollars: in 2023, an estimated 312 million pounds of food was wasted from Thanksgiving meals alone. Not only is the food itself wasted, but the waste of the seed, land, labor, water, energy and transportation required to grow and produce the food.
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach in Henry County offers tips to prevent food waste. Plan ahead, purchase only what is needed, store food properly, share and freeze leftovers, and compost food scraps.