Why Get Wasted

8 Low-Waste Tips for the 8 Days of Hanukkah 1 - Freeze food scraps to take them into the compost when you can and avoid them rotting. 2 - Give gifts of chocolates (or any candy) to friends in Mason jars or mugs that they can keep and use. 3 - If you are baking cupcakes, they have reusable cupcake holders. 4 - Hosting networking events with name tags? Just google "reusable name tags." There are a lot! 5 - Unwrap any gifts carefully. Save and reuse the wrapping paper. 6 - Bring your own reusable take away containers to any events or parties where they will be giving away left overs. Or even when you go to restaurants. 7 - These take away containers can also be used as plates in events where there are only disposable plates. 8 - Did you get a bunch of swag you don't want? Find a local buy nothing group. Someone else may love what you don't want.

Ways you can reduce food waste from company holiday parties. As we come into the holiday season, there are many dinner parties and holidays we host and attend. There is often a lot of leftover food. No surprise there. At a small Thanksgiving meal with your family, people take home leftovers. But what about the large office party? Or the corporate dinner? Here are sustainable tips you can do for food waste: 1 - Offer to be in charge of collecting the excess food afterward and bringing it to compost bins. 2 - Not all compost bins suggest this, but some often say to throw the food into plastic bags and then throw those in the bins. Please don't! That is helping one issue and increasing another. Less food waste, more plastic. 3 - Instead of throwing it in plastic bags, you can take a plastic garbage bag and dump the compost in directly. Wash the garbage bag out and reuse it. 4 - To go: See if your office will buy glass refillable boxes or tiffin (metal) boxes. Everyone can take to go and then bring back the boxes to the office. Why would your company or office want to do this? It can be great press and exposure. 5 - To inspire your office to do this, create a # and ask employees to share. 6 - Bring to a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. You can bring in reusable glass or tin boxes that you pick up. Or donate. 7 - You can find compostable to-go boxes, but look into the brand. For example, people often think paper-to-go boxes are eco-friendly, but they have a layer of plastic-based wax. How receptive is the company you work at or founded open to helping your holiday parties go low-waste? www.whygetwasted.com #lowwaste #foodwaste #sustainability #sustainable #ecofriendly