Back to School: How to pack a waste free lunch
Bringing your own lunch to school or work is a great way to reduce unnecessary waste from eating at the cafeteria or out at a fast food restaurant. But did you realize that you could do more to help reduce waste than just brown bagging it?
“The New York State Department of Conservation has estimated that a child taking a disposable lunch to school generates an average of 67 pounds of trash per school year.” – GreenLivingIdeas.com
Try a few of these tips to get started!
- Instead of using plastic zip bags or plastic food storage containers, which may leech chemicals into your food, why not try out our Norwex Out to Lunch Sandwich Wrap and Snack Bag or other waste-less alternatives like a bento box?
- Don’t buy your lunch out of vending machines; those items are wrapped in plastic, which goes straight into the landfill.
- Use flatware instead of plastic, if you don’t want to bring a set of your good stainless in your lunch bag, why not pick out a set from the resale shop to designate for lunch or try reusable bamboo utensils.
- Bring a cloth napkin in your lunch to wash and reuse.
- Carry your lunch in an insulated bag or bento box.
- Recycle items such as aluminum cans, glass bottles, paper bags and compost your leftovers.
Learn more ways to reduce lunch waste at these helpful sites.
Waste Free Lunches – What Is A Waste Free Lunch Program? (wastefreelunches.org)
The Environmental Protection Agency (epa.gov)
Green Living Ideas – Tips For Packing A Nutritious, Waste Free Lunch (greenlivingideas.com)
I bought washable bags for my daughter’s lunch last year when she started kindergarten, I can’t believe how much $ we saved on plastic bags, and knowing we weren’t adding to the landfills is such a great feeling!!
Thanks Katie! That IS a good feeling, knowing that you’re helping to protect the planet and teaching your daughter good habits too (not to mention saving $$)! Kudos!
There are alot of choices of lunchboxs these days that are great. My kids lunch boxes have always been waste free. Most of our schools here in New Zealand enforce a no waste school lunch policy.
I have just upgraded all my eating out wares to reusable.. I just need to grab some Norwex napkins now to make it all complete!
Since Norwex has discontinued their reuseable lunch baggies, what are some other brands you all have used? I tried Russbe, but didn’t like how stiff they were and ended up recycling them all.
My boyfriend and I each have a lovely bamboo utensil set we pack with our lunches. It feels good knowing we’re doing our part, plus it feels like self-care that we have such a natural and pretty set.