Another (Unfortunate) Use for Thanksgiving Turkey: Waste

Thanksgiving 2012 is here, and millions of people across America sat down to lavish dinners of turkey and trimmings. And a good bit of it went in the trash, according to a media report.

The Los Angeles Times, citing the National Resources Defense Council, has reported that about 200 million pounds of meat (of a total of 736 million pounds of turkey purchased overall) will end up in the garbage after the holiday feast, according to an NRDC blog post.

That’s enough turkey to provide each American household that is food insecure - a total of 17.9 million households - with more than 11 additional servings, the NRDC reported.

Per pound, the resources needed to produce that turkey are equivalent to driving your car 11 miles or taking a 130-minute shower, the NRDC said.

Why the wasteful tendency with turkey, moreso than chicken, according to statistics? “Possibly because turkey is more often eaten during holidays, when consumers may tend to discard relatively more uneaten food than on other days,” the USDA writes.

- So, have you been wasteful in past Thanksgivings? Do you save leftovers, or perhaps donate them to needy families? Share your thoughts.

- Do you know people in Tucker who could use holiday leftovers? Tell us in the comments below-