Leaves on the ground and Black Friday “sneak peek” ads can only mean one thing: Thanksgiving is just around the corner! For 2017, Waste Management is challenging Texans to make Thanksgiving a green holiday this year. Here are a few ways to reduce, reuse and recycle this Thanksgiving:

• Buy and eat locally grown food: Buying only locally grown food is a good way to have an eco-friendly Thanksgiving. Locally grown food is better for your health, the environment and contributes more to your local economy by supporting local farmers and merchants.
• Use recyclable bags when shopping for your holiday meal: Paper bag production consumes more than 14 million trees annually in the U.S. so by using reusable bags you are reducing the amount of paper bags used.
• Invite the neighbors: Inviting your neighbors to share your eco-friendly Thanksgiving is an opportunity to reduce the amount of waste generated through hosting two holiday meals and is a great way to save your neighbors from making a road trip to visit family members that live far away.
• Make eco-friendly decorations: With a little imagination, you can create your own “green” decorations and have a lot of fun in the process. Colored construction paper can be cut into turkeys and harvest decorations. And when your holiday celebration is over, your decorations can be easily recycled.
• Reduce,recycle: Reduce the overall amount of waste you may produce this Thanksgiving by purchasing only as much as you need and selecting products that have less packaging or can be recycled.
• Think Green after Thanksgiving: You can still take steps to make the holiday green by composting food scraps, freezing leftovers, using leftovers to create a new meal, and donating uncooked food to an organization in need.Waste Management would like to remind our communities that there are always opportunities to conserve every day, especially during the holiday season. “At Waste Management, we’re working to find the most efficient and forward-thinking approach to handling waste. With the help of our communities, all of us can help protect the environment, and improve the quality of life on the planet we share.” says Greta Calvery, Public Affairs Manager for Waste Management of Texas and Oklahoma. With that, we’d like to wish all the communities in Texas a Happy Thanksgiving!

Blog post written by Waste Management (supporter)