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You already know that bringing your own healthy lunch to school is more nutritious than buying school lunch, right? But have you thought about all the waste that happens if you send food in throw-away plastic baggies and don’t reuse those baggies?
In a class of 20 students who all bring a snack from home and 8 pack a lunch, that’s 28 plastic bags in the trash for that one classroom. How many classrooms in the school? Let’s say there are 20 classrooms. 28 x 20 = 560 plastic baggies thrown away at one school in one day. Now doesn’t it seem compelling to reuse instead of throw away?
So, consider these reusable lunch bags and containers when your child goes to preschool or elementary school. Here are my favorite choices for eco-friendly back-to-school lunches and snacks.
Lunch Box Containers
Built Gourmet Large Insulated Lunch Bag
Kids Konserve Squiggle Waste-free Lunch Kit
(We like our lunch box container to be large enough to pack yogurts and water bottles which is why I haven’t included Laptop Lunches on this list.)
Inside the Lunch Box
StayFit Lunch 2 Go – a divided lunch tray and lid
Stainless Steel Containers Nesting Trio
Easy Lunch Boxes
*** We use Easy Lunch Boxes (pictured above.) The big bag allows for a yogurt or water bottle as well as the bento box.
LunchBots, stainless steel (plastic free!) lunch, snack, and bento containers.
ReUsies – (remember that these will only work with dry foods and are crushable)
Light My Fire Spork
My kids love these and use them daily.
Snack Containers
Melissa and Doug Scootin Turtle Snack Container – these are the perfect snack containers! We use something similar and like that the snacks don’t get crushed by the time you’re ready to eat them.
FREE Lunch Bag Offer From Annie’s
Annie’s Homegrown, Stonyfield YoKids, Honest Kids and Seventh Generation are offering a Kids Konserve lunch sack with the purchase of participating products July 1, 2011 through September 30, 2011. Annies.com/bts11, print out the form then mail in proof of purchase of all four brands.
More information on packing a waste free lunch:
- Printable from the EPA
- Statistics on lunchtime waste from Reuseit.com
- Ideas for school implementation
- Waste Free Lunch Challenge
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Melissa Taylor is a mom and educator from Denver who is passionate about playful learning. Thanks for visiting the site!
9 Comments
I might be 31, but I wish I HAD a Zoo Lunchies. Soooo cute!
Love this post! I’m obsessed with Bento lunches for my kids. They love them. I use Lock & Lock containers because they don’t leak. I also just picked up a great Lock & Lock lunch bag set with stacking containers at a local Asian grocery store. You can see it here at Amazon. http://tinyurl.com/3hr3dqc
I never thought of a spork. Great idea!
Reusable lunches are wonderful for parents trying to be green and are a lot more fun for kids than plastic baggies and brown paper bags. Nice selection here.
Love these environmentally conscientious suggestions. Thanks for commenting on my blog too. Great to discover yours.
For my own lunches, I like to use plastic containers like Glad and Ziploc make. WAY better than plastic baggies as I can easily reuse them. Plus, if something spoils inside one (I’m still working on only making as much food as I’ll eat!), I can throw them away without feeling like I wasted money.
Thanks so much for including my EasyLunchboxes in your post Melissa! We have a ton of great lunch ideas pictured in our yummy lunch gallery for healthy inspiration: http://bit.ly/hNTsFu
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[...] Back to School Eco Friendly Lunch Options [...]
Thanks for sharing! Always nice to learn, i will happily follow your blog from now on!