Composting for a Sustainable Thanksgiving
Food contributes more to landfills than any other material, making up 24% of city solid waste. According to WorldWatch Institute, we generate three times as much food waste between Thanksgiving and New Year’s as we do the rest of the year. Working on limiting the food we purchase and cook, eating leftovers, and composting as many scraps as possible can limit waste during the holiday season.
"Preventing food from going to waste is one of the easiest and most powerful actions you can take to save money and lower your footprint by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and conserving natural resources," -EPA
Items that can be composted or recycled:
Turkey, Ham and Other Meats: They are best repurposed into stocks, soups or other dishes, eaten as leftovers, frozen for future use or donated. Consider buying smaller portions that will suffice for your family’s feast. Missoula’s industrial compost center CAN take meat and bones. Throw them in your compost bin when you have used what you can.
Bread: Stale bread does not equal bad bread! Take those rolls and repurpose them as croutons for salad, bread crumbs for baking or delicious bread pudding for dessert. Anything that has gone too far past or has mold present can be easily composted.
Cranberries and other Fruits: Whether canned or fresh, any scraps of fruit are great to add to your compost bin.
Vegetables: Potatoes, yams, green beans, corn, carrots, and other vegetables—including peelings, rinds and toppings—are compostable. Even whole pumpkins can be composted; as you already know from Halloween!
Dessert and Coffee: Missoula’s industrial compost can compsot dariy. All desserts scraps can be composted. Your coffee grounds and your filter can also be thrown into your composting bin. Coffee grounds are almost soil already with a 25:1 carbon nitrogen ratio.
Cans & Containers: Don’t just toss empty sauce, soup, or veggie cans. Rinse them out and recycle them. Recycle your bottles and aluminum beverage cans.
Servingware: Try to use reusable plates, cups, and silverware. If that is not a good option for you try compostable servingware; make sure plates, cups, and silverware are BPI Certified. Let everyone know what items are compostable and encourage them to use the green bin. Just because it is compostable doesn't mean it will degrade correctly in the landfill, so it is important to separate this waste. Paper napkins can also be added to the compost bin.
We are thankful for each and every one of you for being an active part of the community we love and supporting our growth toward sustainable change. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Your friends at Missoula Compost
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