Waste free lunches are designed to eliminate the use of unnecessary packaging by using reusable products that are environmentally friendly. This means no excess waste is produced in the making or consumption of school lunches.
Creating waste free lunches is an easy way to help ensure your child is consuming food that is nutritious and less toxic by reducing packaged and processed foods and introducing fresh whole foods. Initiatives such as ‘wrapper Free Wednesday’ encourage parents to create waste free lunches to support a healthier environment by decreasing the amount of waste produced by school lunches. Below are five easy ways to pack a waste free school lunch.
Sandwich wraps
Sandwiches are one of the easiest meals to make for school lunches but they are commonly packaged in plastic wrapping or contained in a plastic sealable bag. To reduce this single use waste, use a reusable sandwich wrap instead. They come in a range of bright colours and prints, and will keep your child’s lunch fresh all day. When they return home simply place in the dishwasher or washing machine to be reused again.
Reusable food pouches
Plastic sealable bags are a hazard for the environment. Not only do they use valuable resources to produce, they also harm the environment in the production, transport and disposal of the products. Reusable food pouches are the perfect waste-free solution. They have a similar design to disposable sealable bags but are more durable and designed to be reused multiple times. They are produced using non-toxic materials providing a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative for your child’s lunch box. You can store various foods in the pouches including yoghurt, small berries, nuts, juice and more. Make sure your child brings them home as they can be washed and reused.
Bento lunch boxes
Bento style lunch boxes originally created in Japan during the Kamakura Period (1185-1333) are increasing in popularity due to their waste-free design. The design provides multiple compartments that allow you to store a variety of foods without extra packaging. From fruit and vegetables to crackers and sandwiches, these environmentally friendly lunch boxes can improve the nutritional value of your child’s lunch by reducing the use of pre-packaged products.
Water bottles
Plastic water bottles are a major environmental issue. They extract valuable natural resources to produce and pollute our earth with litter that takes hundreds of years to break down. Provide your child with a reusable water bottle instead of a disposable one. The plastic made for disposable water bottles contains several toxic chemicals. When the bottle is heated to certain temperatures, the plastic begins to break down leaching harmful chemicals into the water. Reusable stainless steel water bottles or BPA-free plastic bottles are healthier alternatives for your child and the environment.
Cutlery
Plastic cutlery commonly made from polystyrene is extremely harmful for the environment as it is hard to recycle, therefore majority of the waste ends up in landfill. Instead of providing your child with single use plastic cutlery, give them their own set of reusable cutlery to use. Cutlery made from bamboo, stainless steel, BPA-free plastic or wood are perfect for school lunch boxes and will help to reduce your contribution to landfill.
Plastic water bottles are a major environmental issue. They extract valuable natural resources to produce and pollute our earth with litter that takes hundreds of years to break down. Provide your child with a reusable water bottle instead of a disposable one. The plastic made for disposable water bottles contains several toxic chemicals. When the bottle is heated to certain temperatures, the plastic begins to break down leaching harmful chemicals into the water. Reusable stainless steel water bottles or BPA-free plastic bottles are healthier alternatives for your child and the environment.
Cutlery
Plastic cutlery commonly made from polystyrene is extremely harmful for the environment as it is hard to recycle, therefore majority of the waste ends up in landfill. Instead of providing your child with single use plastic cutlery, give them their own set of reusable cutlery to use. Cutlery made from bamboo, stainless steel, BPA-free plastic or wood are perfect for school lunch boxes and will help to reduce your contribution to landfill.
0 comments:
Post a Comment