Where to return food after the holidays? Christmas zero waste solutions
Holidays, holidays and after the holidays, and the fridge is still full? Excess food: bought, prepared and then thrown away is almost a permanent element of every celebration and family gathering. Where to give away food after the holidays so that wasting it does not become a new, not very ecological tradition?
How not to waste food? Learn about food sharing
Every year in Poland, around 4.5 million tons of food is wasted, and 60% of that in households. Why? The most common reasons for throwing away food, as declared by respondents, are:
- expiry date – 60%,
- too much shopping – 26%,
- improper storage – 26%,
- purchase of unpalatable products – 25%,
- purchase of poor quality products – 17%,
- too large portions of meals – 18%,
- lack of ideas on how to use the products – 10% [i] .
The amount of food thrown away increases dramatically during the Christmas and New Year period . It is estimated that 83% of people throw away food during this time. December 24 has even been unofficially declared Christmas Food Waste Day – in Poland alone, as much as 9.2 thousand tons of food end up in the bins. [ii]! Can this be remedied?
For environmental reasons, we encourage moderation above all, which is one of the most important ingredients in our recipe for holiday peace . However, we assume that since you have arrived here, you are struggling with the problem of managing food after the holidays and are looking for a solution that is best for you and nature.
The remedy to most of these problems is food sharing . This movement encourages people to give away excess food to people who will gladly accept it and literally save it from going to waste . There is only one condition – the food must still be edible.
Where to drop off food after the holidays? Map of food pantries in Warsaw and throughout Poland
One way to do holiday food sharing is to use canteens, also known as community fridges. Canteens are publicly accessible fridges, cabinets, and sometimes small rooms that allow for the exchange of food . You can not only leave fresh products or dishes there, but also take what others have left on the shelves.
What should be donated to the soup kitchen? Only food that we would eat ourselves. Importantly, it may be past its expiration date – dry and loose products, preserves, spices, and sometimes even properly stored dairy products are often good for consumption after the date indicated on the packaging. However, when giving food to a canteen, it is worth following a few rules :
- products should be placed in clean packaging and tightly closed,
- Homemade dishes should be labeled with their ingredients and preparation date,
- you can leave previously opened products, but you should indicate the date of opening (especially in the case of food that spoils quickly),
- If a dish requires storage at a low temperature, it should definitely be placed in the fridge!
Contrary to appearances, eateries are not the domain of big cities – you can find them in small towns too!
See the nationwide map of canteens
Go to the map of Warsaw’s food places
Don’t see your location here? Try searching for it, for example, in an internet search engine – the network of eateries is constantly growing, so there may be locations in your area that have not yet been marked on the map.
List of places where you can donate food after holidays, events and every day
Food drives are not the only places where you can donate food after the holidays (and not only after the holidays). See where else you can share food!
- Food Banks
These are charitable institutions that accept any type of food and then distribute it to those in need. All food products (including perishable products, such as bread, dairy, meat, fruit and vegetables) can be donated to such a bank at least 2 days before their expiration date. There are 31 such banks in Poland. See the map of Food Banks .
- Facebook groups and local forums
Food sharing is also possible through social media and local groups, which you can find under the names:
- online food hall, foodsharing, freeganism,
- I will give it back, watch out, the garbage truck is coming (or simply: the garbage truck),
- we don’t waste food.
- Caritas Poland Branches
Caritas has long been actively working to help those in need, while also preventing food waste. Local Caritas branches often accept unnecessary food that has been sitting in the fridge, for example after the holidays or an event. It is worth contacting the nearest Caritas branch and donating food to them, which will then be given to those in need.
- Facilities for people in homelessness crisis
Surplus food from the holidays is also readily accepted by shelters and shelters for people in homelessness crisis. A list of all such facilities, divided by province, can be found on the website of the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Policy .
And when you do have to throw away… How not to waste food that ends up in the trash?
Sometimes food has to be thrown away – it is spoiled, over-salted, burnt, there may be many reasons. However, it is worth doing it wisely. Properly sorted waste from the table, fridge or kitchen cupboard can still be recycled organically, i.e. composted or fermented.
Where to throw away food? Most food goes into the brown bin for bio-waste . This is where unnecessary, spoiled or expired food should go, but with some exceptions. Leftover meat, cold cuts and bones are mixed waste , as are eggs, cheese and other animal products. Mixed dishes containing animal products, such as salads or sauces, are not bio-waste either. Check what we throw away and what we do not throw away into bio-waste .
An alternative to a bio-waste bag is a composter: home, kitchen or electric. It allows you to turn bio-waste into a natural and completely free fertilizer for plants, which can be created in just 24 hours! Such possibilities are provided by the Oklin composter from the Smart line .
[i] Zero recycling point in Poland , https://portalkomunalny.pl/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/raport-punkt-zero-recyklingu-w-polsce.pdf
[ii] Holidays, holidays and… to the trash. We throw away 1.6 kg of holiday food per person , https://www.rp.pl/przemysl-spozywczy/art41538111-swieta-swieta-i-do-kosza-wyrzutmy-1-6-kg-swiateczny-jeczenia-na-osobe