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Companies that celebrate Thanksgiving at the office can save money, positively affect the environment and their local communities by planning their feast and what to do with the food waste after all the partygoers have come through.  

 

What are the benefits of planning what to do with your waste?

  • Reduce carbon footprint by not sending food or other solid waste to the landfill 
  • Help feed people in need in the local community 
  • Brand recognition may increase 
  • Customer loyalty can increase  
  • Climate change mitigation 
  • Save money by planning for your office feast  

 

How to plan for Thanksgiving at the office?

Planning: One of the best ways to avoid letting food go to waste after a celebration and wind up in a landfill.  

  • PLAN: Plan ahead to see how many people will be in attendance and order appropriately  
  • DONATE/COMMUNITY SUPPORT: Work with local organizations or charities to see if these organizations would be interested in your leftovers 
  • FARMS: Work with local farms to see if there’s a possibility they would want to feed their livestock with your leftovers 
  • ENERGY: There’s also companies that do waste-to-energy that may be interested in collecting local food waste from companies 
  • LEFTOVERS: Make a plan to use your leftovers  
The food recovery hierarchy, developed by the US EPA, depicts the different levels of food waste, from the most preferred on top to the least on the bottom. Coming in last is sending items to the landfill.
The food recovery hierarchy, developed by the US EPA, depicts the different levels of food waste, from the most preferred on top to the least on the bottom. Coming in last is sending items to the landfill.

Composting: Besides working with outside entities, offices can also have internal systems that they use for their food waste.  

  • CORPORATE GARDENS: Corporate and small business leaders can develop onsite gardens that are managed by employees or outside entities. These gardens are a great way to build teams, your brand and have a pathway for composting your food waste, which contributes to increased carbon emissions and climate change.   
  • EMPLOYEE GARDENS: If there’s no room for a garden onsite, some employees have their own personal gardens that can benefit from composting food waste. Companies could also benefit from fanning the gardening and composting flames for their employees who might be interested in learning more about the topic.  
  • COMMUNITY GARDENS: Community gardens are a good target to receive food waste. Giving to these gardens, or sponsoring one, can increase community relations and build brands at the same time.   
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