Take your holiday meals in thrifted or reusable dishes for sustainable soirees

'Tis the season for holiday gatherings, which means leftovers and doggy bags for friends and family after the feast is over.

Opt for this simple sustainability hack from Melissa Breyer to replace single-use plastic with thrifted dishes.

Thrifted Dishes for Sustainable Holiday Hack

The Treehugger editorial director developed the idea just in time for the holidays to encourage people to reduce waste. The eco-friendly swap is simple -- use alternatives like an old glass casserole dish or other small glass container to send guests home with leftovers rather than using zip-top plastic bags, plastic cling wrap or more expensive plastic containers.

"The idea is to keep your eye out for old casserole dishes and buy them when you find them. Then, use one whenever you bring food to someone's house. The dish becomes a gift that the host can keep or pass forward next time they bring food somewhere," Breyer told "Good Morning America." "It's a great way to avoid single-use containers and keep second-hand items out of landfill. It's also just a sweet and clever way to elevate your potluck game."

After first seeing the trend making the rounds on social media, Breyer added the tip that it would be perfect for holiday gatherings.

"From neighborhood thrift shops to vintage boutiques, almost every shop selling pre-loved items has baking and serving ware," she said. "They can also be plentiful at flea markets and yard sales. Additionally, you can look at online marketplaces, Craigslist, other classifieds and 'free stuff' sites like freecycle.org. Lastly, hold on to baking ware you plan to replace -- and you'll be all set for your next potluck."

An earlier version of this story was originally published on Dec. 6, 2021.