Don’t be fooled by Thanksgiving’s seemingly inherent nature of overindulgence: like any meal, this holiday can be made less wasteful. With Thanksgiving kicking off the American holiday season, it’s the perfect testing ground for practicing zero-waste principles and learning new strategies to enjoy stuffing yourself (and your turkey) without stuffing landfills.   The holidays come with an uptick in cooking, which inevitably leads to greater food waste, not to mention all the packaging that can go into it. The National Resources Defense Council estimates that during Thanksgiving last year, Americans wasted about 204 million pounds of turkey alone, which is only a fraction of the estimated 5 million tons of food in total that Americans toss between Thanksgiving and New Year.   If these numbers seem extraordinarily huge, it’s because they are: that’s a lot of trash. And according to Lauren Singer, CEO and Founder of Package Free, “when you throw food waste into a landfill, it releases methane, which is more potent of a warming gas than CO2.” This means that food waste is a direct contributor to climate change, and given that even on a regular day, the average American produces 4.4lbs of waste, everyone plays a part in the planet’s warming.   But, this is good news: it also means that every single person has the power to directly impact climate change in a positive way by reducing their own waste. With that in mind, here are some suggestions for those with the financial ability and access to make this Thanksgiving and holidays beyond as waste-free as possible. Start from scratch   Premade food items often come wrapped in thin non-recyclable plastic or packaged in plastic or styrofoam. Added benefits of making certain items from the ground up include having control over the quality of ingredients used in the recipe, the total amount used, and learning how to make things yourself.   Even better, opt for “ugly” foods, or food that would otherwise get sent to landfills without even hitting shelves for whatever reason. Misfits Market offers a service aiming to reduce the amount of food waste that comes from extremely high produce beauty standards by delivering boxes of erroneously unwanted food for purchase. It saves a trip to the grocery store, and they even offer holiday add-ons.   Redefine decorating   When it comes to bowls, plates, and other tableware, a lot of people go the plastic route for the sake of ease. “If you’re worried about al the dishes, ask people to bring their own plates and cups and silverware,” suggests Singer, adding that “it makes a really beautiful eclectic, unique tablescape.” Similarly, take a look at the decorations you use and find out if there are more natural ways to dress up the table. Singer advises using natural elements from outside, or even some of the ingredients.   Compost food scraps   Because food waste is such a huge part of overall holiday waste, and a director contributor to greenhouse gas when it ends up in landfills, addressing this aspect of cooking for Thanksgiving can make a huge difference. When cooking, set up a big bowl or bag right next to your cooking station to make sure none of the food scraps accidentally get thrown into the garbage. This is a great way to also “clean as you cook” and keep your kitchen tidy.   If you do end up with some extra waste that doesn’t seem compostable or even recyclable, consider trying out TerraCycle, a new technology that can help divert almost anything from the waste loop.   Love those leftovers   An unofficial Thanksgiving tradition is to repurpose leftovers into meals for days to come, so invite your guests to take some of their own. But instead of wrapping leftover food up in plastic or tinfoil, have guests bring stainless steel containers of their own. If they don’t have any, provide them! “I gave my holiday presents last year during Thanksgiving, buying everyone their own stainless steel container to take leftovers home,” Singer says. As a bonus, guests can bring these same containers back for Christmas as a ready-to-go kit.   Don’t overdo it   The easiest way to not make food waste is to not cook more food than you really need. Cut recipes in half, or even be so bold as to eliminate some. Does the green bean casserole barely get touched each year but you keep making it because it’s a holiday staple? If you and your guests don’t actually intend to eat it, consider leaving it off the menu. Traditions, just like habits, can be changed.