Packing Less Waste

Did you know…
  • The average sized elementary school generates over 18,000 pound of trash per year.
  • That our school children’s lunches alone create about 3,500,000,000 pounds of garbage annually.
  • It takes one 15 year old tree to make 700 brown paper lunch bags.
Here are 12 ideas to start you on your way to a green packed lunch.
  1. Use a cloth napkin instead of paper.
  2. Buy cheap flatware at the dollar store or thrift store and reuse it instead of plastic ware.
  3. Wash out plastic baggies and re-use them.
  4. Get really good re-useable containers, buy in bulk and divide. Avoid single serving products if you can.
  5. Use a stainless steel water bottle and bring filtered water from home; skip the plastic water bottle, it is not good for you or the environment.
  6. Pack it all up in a re-useable and washable lunch box or bag.
  7. Teach kids the 4 R’s to reduce, reuse, recycle and rot. If they don’t recycle at school, start a program.
  8. Start a school compost bin and use the compost in the school garden you are going to start next year.
  9. Bake your own snack bars. Cook more, buy less.
  10. Buy only locally grown produce. Look for farmers markets, farms, CSV’s and other sources of local foods at Food Routes or Local Harvest.
  11. Purchase wisely, look for items with less packing materials or re-useable materials.
  12. BYOB-Bring your own bag when you shop.
So not all these ideas are for everyone, but start with one small improvement and keep going.
Looking to shop Eco Friendly?
If you have a great idea for packing a “greener” lunch, or a product to share…do so here.