SCDES Encourages South Carolinians to Reduce Food Waste, Donate Unneeded Food this Thanksgiving Season

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  
Nov. 13, 2025 

COLUMBIA, S.C. — No holiday is more associated with food and leftovers than Thanksgiving, which is why the South Carolina Department of Environmental Services (SCDES) encourages the public to take an active role in directing food waste out of our landfills and, ideally, into the hands of a food-insecure family.  

Food waste is the number one item thrown away by Americans every year, and the holiday season unfortunately tends to be a time of year that produces the most amounts of discarded food. The Don’t Waste Food SC public education campaign — which is coordinated by SCDES and ambassadors around the state — offers several tips and resources that limit food waste, support local families, and save money from being spent on food that winds up in the garbage. 

“One of the easiest and most effective things you can do to limit food waste and save yourself money is to plan ahead,” said Savannah Murray, Don't Waste Food SC Coordinator. “If you’re hosting a meal or bringing food to an event, know how many people you’re expecting, and only prepare the amount of food you need. Another key tip is to bring along reusable containers for people to take home leftovers.” 

Other ways to cut back on food and food-packaging waste include:  

• Do a head count. Knowing how many people to prepare food for helps reduce the amount of prepared but unneeded food. 
• Check your pantry first. You may have several of the ingredients you need already in your pantry or deep freeze – use them up first before you purchase more. 
• Know your menu. Plan ahead for the specific dishes you’ll make and only buy the ingredients required for each dish. 
• Use reusable containers. Instead of plastic wrap and aluminum foil, put leftovers into reuseable containers that your guests can either keep as a small holiday present or return to you, if requested. Single-use plastic wraps and foils can significantly contribute to household waste. 
• Compost. If you can’t donate or reuse your leftovers, try composting. Sending food waste to a composting facility or composting at home can improve soil health and structure, increase water retention, support native plants and reduce the need for fertilizers and pesticides. SCDES provides composting tips at des.sc.gov/composting. 

While prepared leftovers can’t be donated to local food pantries or banks, unneeded non-perishable foods can.  

“Donating extra, unneeded food to a local food pantry is by far the best choice you can make to help keep food items from being thrown away,” said Murray. “Anyone fortunate enough to have unneeded food items this Thanksgiving can visit our Don’t Waste Food SC webpage to find food donation programs in their community. There’s no bigger win for your community or the environment than to make the extra effort to give unneeded food a local food bank." 

Helpful guidelines about food donation as well as a link to food pantries in the state are available at des.sc.gov/dwfsc. 

Additionally, anyone wishing to make a charitable donation to assist regional food banks and feeding partners in South Carolina is encouraged to support the One SC Fund, which was activated by Gov. Henry McMaster on Oct. 28, 2025, to assist food banks across the state. 

Another important holiday reminder is to properly dispose of cooking oil. Pouring cooking fats, oils and greases down the drain can create major plumbing issues. The best way to dispose of cooking oils is to recycle them. A list of local oil recycling drop-off sites is available at des.sc.gov/recycleheresc.  

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