My daughter started Kindergarten in September. It has been my first experience packing a school lunch and I cannot believe how much waste there is. We use reusable containers for most of the lunch, but there are still wrapper, sandwich bags and juice box waste. I am not the greenest person in the world, but I still like to be aware of the environmental impacts my family has on the planet. I was recently challenged by SC Johnson to attempt #SCJZeroWaste. A great time to see if I can pack zero waste lunch.
I learned a few ways to reduce the waste in my daughter’s lunches and I wanted to pass these tips on to you.
Table of Contents
How To Pack A Zero Waste Lunch
Reusable Lunch Bags
One of the easiest ways to start packing a zero waste lunch is buying packing it in a zero waste container. There are many different reusable and insulated lunch boxes out on the market. They are inexpensive and come in many different colours/patterns/themes. If you child is like mine and picks the most popular lunch box around you can customize it by using permanent markers. They will always know which bag is theirs and it is a fun activity you can do together.
Swap Out That Juice Box
Just like the lunch bag there are many different reusable drink containers to choose from. I prefer to use a BPA-Free Plastic bottle without a straw. I find the straws too hard to clean and very easy to lose. There are also stainless steel and glass options. I do not recommend glass for school lunches for obvious reasons.
Think Before You Buy
I left the hardest tip for last. A lot of our snack staples leave a lot of waste. In particular granola bars. The wrappers cannot be recycled or reused. Instead of buying granola bars we make our own and wrap them in the reusable wrappers I mentioned before. It seems like a lot of work but having a bit of foresight can drastically reduce the waste in your lunches.
Disclosure: I am part of the PTPA Brand Ambassador Program with SC Johnson and I received Compensation as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.
