As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, it’s the perfect moment to think about how our traditions can honor both people and the planet. This year, why not make your celebration a little greener? We’ve created a handy guide to help you celebrate sustainably this holiday season, all the way through the new year.
Buy Ingredients Locally
Local produce is a great addition to Thanksgiving dishes and reduces your carbon footprint. Consider checking out farmer’s markets to pick up a few ingredients for your green bean casserole or turkey stuffing. For those in The Woodlands area, visit the Grogan’s Mill Farmer’s Market or the Farmer’s Market on Tamina every Saturday for fresh fruits and vegetables, or even a homemade pastry!
Assorted berries for sale on a table in containers
Opt for Reusable Dinnerware
Disposable plastic or paper plates might reduce the number of dishes you have to clean, but they’ll have you piling up bags of trash by the end of the night. Instead, go with reusable plates, napkins, and utensils this year to reduce your post-holiday waste. If you can’t bear to part with the convenience of single-use items, consider trying compostable plates and silverware and bring them in a paper or certified compostable bag to a local composting facility, along with your uneaten leftovers. Find a composting facility using our Recycle Right online tool.
Dinner plate with food on it and utensils to the side
Compost Food Scraps
Each year, over 300 million pounds of food waste ends up wasted after Thanksgiving. Instead of throwing it into the trash, capture those veggie scraps, eggshells, forgotten mashed potatoes and add them to a backyard compost pile. If you’re not sure where to start, Environmental Services hosts free composting classes each year from November to March!
Bones, meats, and oils don’t belong in a backyard pile, and if you don’t want to start one until after you take the class, scrape the food waste off your plates into a sturdy paper (or certified compostable) bag and visit a local facility to drop it off for free!
Bucket filled with assorted food scraps
Don’t Dump Grease
After you’ve enjoyed your deep-fried Thanksgiving turkey, you have probably wondered what to do with the gallons of accompanying grease. While it may seem harmless to pour your used oil down the drain, any amount of cooking oil can damage your kitchen plumbing, local sewage systems, and even harm wildlife. The solution? Recycle it!
Montgomery County residents can bring cooking oil to the Precinct 3 Recycling Facility during regular business hours. Please note that the facility will have adjusted hours each year in observance of the holiday. Residents of Harris County can recycle used cooking oil free of charge at their county’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility during regular business hours, by appointment only.
Clean Pipes are Green Pipes video
Gift with Sustainability in Mind
Holiday shopping is bound to be on your to-do list soon; as it’s out with the old and in with the new, it can be hard to keep those trash cans from overflowing! From knowing which giftwrap is recyclable to purchasing reusable options, we’ve provided our top tips for gifting sustainably this year – check out page 11 of The Woodlands November 2024 magazine to get started.
Presents in reusable gift bags in front of a fireplace
Choose Your Christmas Tree with Care
As you pick out your Christmas tree this season, take a moment to think ahead about how you’ll dispose of it after the holidays! Real trees covered in artificial snow (known as flocking) must be landfilled, while unflocked, natural trees can be composted. To stay eco-friendly, consider using white garlands or ornaments instead of flocking, and use our Recycle Right online tool to determine where your tree belongs after the holidays.
For more information, contact the Environmental Services Department at enviro@thewoodlandstownship-tx.gov or 281-210-3800.