The holiday season is upon us and many of us are spending time with friends and family at holiday parties enjoying tasty dishes that we only indulge in once a year. It's all too easy to waste food around this time of year when our eating routines are all over the place. While it's not the waist issue you might think about, it can definitely be a waste problem.

Meal Planning & Leftover Tips

• When we think of the holidays, we picture cornucopias overflowing with tons of food, but how do you avoid wasting (while ensuring you have plenty for the big meal)? Only buy the amount of ingredients you need for each dish you cook – that way, you don’t have half a bag of dried cranberries that end up in the garbage.
• Before you buy your turkey, get a headcount of guests, then use Save the Food’s Guest-imator. They even let you account for small, medium and big eaters, so you can be sure to have the right amount of food.
• Send your guests home with leftovers in a reusable container. This not only helps clean out your fridge but it also keeps you from being stuck with a fridge full of leftovers that could go bad before you can eat it all.
• Some people never get tired of leftovers, but others aren't crazy about them. If a turkey sandwich every day for a week just isn’t your thing, try a leftover makeover! (This will also help keep those leftovers out of the landfill.) For links to recipes using leftovers, check out our Facebook page!
• If you've tired yourself out from creating new recipes with your leftovers, try feeding people instead of our landfills. In case you didn't know, one in eight Americans struggle with hunger - including nearly 800,000 South Carolinian's - according to Feeding America. Food donation is a great way to provide surplus food to those who need it while recycling your leftovers. Besides, isn't this time of year also the season for giving?
• If you cannot donate or reuse your leftovers, try composting. Sending food waste to a composting facility or composting at home can improve soil health and structure, increase water retention, support native plants and reduce the need for fertilizers and pesticides.

Dispose of Waste Oil the Right Way

While it seems tempting, do not flush a pan full of oil down your sink. There are many recycling centers across our state that will take your old fats, oils, and greases.

Keep these tips in mind:

• Don't pour oil down your drain or toilet: It can clog your pipes and/or the city sewer mains.
• Don't dispose of oil in compost bins or piles: Fats in general are bad for compost, and cooking oil is nothing but fat.
• Don't pour hot oil into the trash.