Thanksgiving is just around the corner and even though we all do a great job of gobbling up our holiday meals, we often find ourselves with a refrigerator full of leftover food.

A leftover turkey and cranberry sandwich may taste good the day after Thanksgiving, but how about the third or fourth day in a row? At that point, most leftovers go into the trash.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimates household waste increases by more than 25 percent during the holiday season. Much of that is food waste.

This year in the City of Redmond, all of that food waste can go into your yard waste cart instead of the trash!

From spinach stems to the turkey carcass, all of your food scraps can be turned into compost. All it takes is a little more thought and a bit more effort when tossing things and when taking out the trash.

There are other simple ways to green up your Thanksgiving Day celebration.

Here are Waste Management’s top 5 tips for showing your thanks to the planet this Thanksgiving:

Look for organic, local produce. Many grocery stores now carry organic produce from local farms. By selecting organic and local fruits and vegetables, the food you eat will be free from conventional pesticides and you’ll cut air emissions associated with shipping.

Cook only what you need. Before going to the grocery store do a little math: a serving of turkey is between 3 to 4 ounces. So don’t buy a 25-pound turkey for a family of four, get an eight or ten pound bird instead.

Set an environmentally friendly table. Use cloth napkins and reusable dishes, utensils and glasses.

Be creative and save money. Make your own holiday centerpieces and wreaths out of items you find in your backyard.

Save those potato peels, spinach stems and carrot tops and put them in your yard waste bin. Seafood shells from oysters, clams and crabs can go in too. Even the bones and the leftover turkey carcass can be tossed in with the leaves and branches from your yard. These food scraps will be turned into compost for gardening and landscaping. For a complete list of items that can go into your yard waste bin, visit www.wmnorthwest.com/redmond.

If you’d like more information on waste reduction, visit www.wmnorthwest.com.

Have a happy, safe and green Thanksgiving!

Katie Salinas is the communications manager at Waste Management, Inc.