Holiday Table Goodies, Waste Not Want Not

During the holiday season mounds of tasty dishes are prepared for parties and family dinners, but a significant portion of that food is never eaten.

The World Watch Institute says Americans generate an extra 5 million tons of additional garbage each year between Thanksgiving and New Years, with over 200 million tons of food waste added to the mix.

"Twenty to fifty percent of all food is wasted before it ever reaches peoples stomachs."

World Watch Senior Researcher, Danielle Nierenberg says it starts well before the cooking starts, "In fields before farmers can harvest it, in storage where it's destroyed by pests or by mold, in transport, and then we waste a significant amount of food at home."

She says it's really easy when shopping to overbuy, especially if things are on sale. Planning ahead will help prevent getting drawn into purchasing more than you need.

And when the party's over, "Be judicious in making sure that leftovers are sealed and stored properly after the meal."

Nierenberg suggests if you do have left over food scraps remember to compost them, that's good for the environment and leads to a healthy garden next year.