With the holiday season fully upon us, many people are prepping appetizers, side dishes, and tons of other food for the holidays. With that comes a large amount of food waste, including vegetable peels, egg shells, trimmed fat, and several other things. We tend to usually put them through the garbage disposal without thinking of the consequences. However, especially this time of year, that can spell doom for our drain and usually will result in a visit from the plumber – one that can cost hundreds of dollars.

Instead of having to worry about that money lost, take those food waste items and do something else with them instead. Here’s our guide on what to do with a few of those items.

Egg Shells

Photo: Jerde

Egg shells are brittle and break up easily, but they will not do that while in your drain pipe. Throw them out in the trash if they’re completely broken up, or save them to make little decorations for the house instead. Painted eggshells can make for a great, cheap home decor item – just make sure to thoroughly clean them first.

Vegetable and Fruit Peels

Photo: Stocksnap

These peels definitely won’t break up easily, and are some of the most common reasons your sink will get clogged if you just toss them down the drain. You can dehydrate the peels instead and grind them into usable flours (a great source of fiber and easy way to trick your kids into eating vegetables), turn them into chips, or compost them to keep your home garden nutrient-rich.

Citrus Rinds

Photo: Mimi’s Kitchen

This is different from above because while citrus rinds will also easily clog up a sink, they have some more creative uses than just flour or compost. Chop them up into thin slices and make candied rinds instead for a sweet, waste-free holiday snack! Boiling them in a simple syrup, then tossing them in flavored sugar before cooling is the simplest way to make this cheap garnish/treat.

Animal Grease/Fat

Photo: What Great Grandma Ate

This is one of the WORST things you can put down a sink, so please do not do it! When fat cools and solidifies, it’s almost impossible to get anything past it and will be a huge problem for your drain. Either put into a disposable container and let it cool before dumping it, or save the fat in your fridge to use as an alternative to oil, or to flavor everything from roasted potatoes to eggs.

Excess Flour/Starchy Items

Photo: StockSnap

Starchy items like pasta and bread will do the same to your sink as the peels will, making it a pain to clean and a sticky mess in the end. Make sure to put these down the trash or compost them as well, or dehydrate them into flours just like the peels above.

Take a major load off of your holiday stress by keeping the above items out of the sink. Your sink (and wallet) will both be thanking you when the holiday season is over.