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)