Just about everyone has placed leftovers in their refrigerator that they fully intended on eating at a later point in time but ended up forgetting about or becoming too involved with their lives to actually eat up the food before it has gone bad.

Now that food is just sitting there, not only judging them but also potentially being a host to a variety of bad bacteria and maybe even fungi. Yes, that food has gone bad and it desperately needs to be thrown out.

Fortunately, there’s a holiday that’s perfect for this job. This holiday is called Throw Out Your Leftovers Day and it’s observed annually on the 29th of November. It’s the perfect day of the year to get rid of those science experiments that were once leftover food.

The History Of Throw Out Your Leftovers Day

Unfortunately, we’re unsure of when this holiday was invented or who invented it. The origins of this holiday seem to have been lost. Don’t worry though. We did find some useful information about “leftovers” that we discovered while we were trying to track down Throw Out Your Leftovers Day. So let’s explore the history of leftovers a little bit in this section.

Before the icebox became a standard fixture in homes at the beginning of the 20th century, leftovers didn’t really exist. There was no way for people to keep leftover food, so it was either thrown away or given to pets and/or farm animals. But once people gained the ability to save food to eat later, the concept of leftovers was invented.

Once people could start saving leftover food, people developed some distinct ideas about what should be done with them. During World War I, saving and then later eating leftover food was seen as something very patriotic — as something that reduced the burden on the nation’s food supply. This continued through the Great Depression when saving leftovers was not only looked upon favorably but was often a necessity of daily life.

During the 1960s, it became common for people to simply toss out their leftover meals. After all, food prices had become pretty cheap, and throwing away leftovers would be seen as a mark of middle-class status.

During the 1980s, the status of leftovers changed again as more people were working outside the home. This meant that “Latchkey Kids” needed a quick and easy way to eat while their parents were working. Leftovers fit this bill quite nicely.

Observing Throw Out Your Leftovers Day

On this holiday, people are encouraged to toss out all of that leftover food that has gone bad. Just toss it right in the trash. When that’s done, be sure to take the time to spread the word about this holiday using the hashtag #ThrowOutYourLeftoversDay on social media.