Christopher Chacko Updated on Nov 24, 2023 3 min read

The Leftovers Guide

You've got 8 meals between you and Monday, put those leftovers to good use

It's Friday afternoon

and you've finally woken up from your Thanksgiving-fueled slumber- only to remain semi-useless until Monday rolls around (let's face it). I like to call the stretch between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday the "hibernation period", where you're sleeping in, cozying up, and likely avoiding the roads as the "in-person shoppers" (if they still exist) tend to their holiday lists. And while you're finally enjoying a few days with no time-sensitive agenda, there's something hidden in your house that does... and its ticking...

Those damn Thanksgiving leftovers.

The World’s Dumbest Problem

When it comes to leftovers, it’s a "use it or lose it" type of game. Except in this case, the "lose it" part is actually way worse than we think. This week, over 312 million pounds of food will end up in the trash- that’s almost $600 million worth of food. And the problem isn't just with this week- the WFP estimates that around 30% of food produced for our consumption is wasted globally, and it's closer to 40% here in the US, around half of which is generated by households.

But what happens after they’ve been tossed? Generally, food goes and sits in a landfill, emitting methane as it decomposes - and methane in the short term is 8 times more potent than carbon in our atmosphere. The EPA published a report the other day that found that 58% of methane emissions coming from US landfills are directly because of food waste.

Let me put that into a better perspective for you-

In 2020, about 55 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent emissions were released into the atmosphere just from food decomposing in landfills - that's the equivalent to the combined annual emissions of 15 coal-fired power plants - according to the EPA.

So let's summarize; the costs of our food waste are money lost, almost 10x worse emissions, a lack of consumable food for ourselves, and no change to those with food insecurity. Meanwhile, the benefits are... absolutely none if you actually use your leftovers. Sounds like the World's Dumbest Problem to me.

Bon Apetit’s Leftover Mashed Potatoes Croquettes, see below for more

What You Can Do

Alright, so surely there’s something we can do on our end. As I always mention, sustainability takes a bit of creativity at first, and creativity is not to be mistaken for hard work here. Listed below are some of my favorite recipes for re-purposing your thanksgiving leftovers this year, and maybe even some ideas that will stick with you going forward. And if being even semi-useless these next few days is too much for you, here’s a re-assuring note to keep in mind from the USDA-