Do you store your leftovers in the fridge only to toss them a few days later? Or throw that bruised apple that travelled to school and back into the green bin?

ItB次元官网网址檚 estimated that more than 18,000 tonnes of food waste from the region is sent to composting facilities each year.

Further, despite being banned from the Hartland Landfill several years ago, a 2016 Capital Regional DistrictB次元官网网址檚 waste stream study found that avoidable food waste such as wilted lettuce, stale bread and leftovers, still makes up about 10 per cent of the regionB次元官网网址檚 overall waste going to the landfill.

B次元官网网址淎lthough kitchen scraps were banned from Hartland Landfill in 2015, reducing continues to be a priority area, especially as it relates to both the 3Rs B次元官网网址� REDUCE first, REUSE second and RECYCLE or COMPOST third B次元官网网址� and extending the lifespan of Hartland Landfill,B次元官网网址� says Russ Smith, senior manager of the CRDB次元官网网址檚 Environmental Resource Management team.

All that waste not only impacts the space in the landfill, but also peopleB次元官网网址檚 bank accounts.

According to the national project, the average Canadian household throws away about $1,100 worth of groceries that could have otherwise been eaten B次元官网网址� every year!

To raise awareness about the volume of avoidable food waste produced each year B次元官网网址� and most importantly how to avoid it B次元官网网址� the CRD is working with the Love Food Hate Waste project to share information about , food storage and preservation, nutritional uses for past-prime fruits and vegetables and a whole lot more.

With the long weekend coming up, here are 5 tips for avoiding food waste this Thanksgiving:

1. Make room for holiday food. Before the long weekend, use up food in your refrigerator and freezer to make room for new Thanksgiving leftovers.
2. Make a plan for your leftovers. Add ingredients that youB次元官网网址檒l need for turkey soup or sandwiches to your Thanksgiving grocery list (here are a ).
3. Share! Sharing leftovers is as much a part of Thanksgiving as turkey fatigue and pumpkin pie. Ask your guests to bring re-usable containers for leftovers.
4. Try a self-serve approach. Eat family-style and encourage guests to serve themselves. TheyB次元官网网址檒l be able to choose what they want to eat and how much, which makes it less likely that youB次元官网网址檒l have to dispose of food that was served but not eaten.
5. Store safely. DonB次元官网网址檛 let the food sit on the table for hours. Store your leftovers safely B次元官网网址� get them into the fridge within two hours.

To learn more about how you can avoid food waste, visit or