Ways to Cut Down your Lunch Litter

When it comes to their backpack, less is definitely more. Lose the lunch litter in favor of eco-friendly, wallet-friendly reusable containers that fit everything from soups, stews and beverages to snacks and sandwiches.

The average child generates 67 pounds of waste every school year. By packing a litter-free lunch, you reduce the amount of waste clogging up landfills while saving money on pricey packaged snacks, drinks and other lunch items. The average family spends more than $400 per child on juice boxes, pre-packaged items and disposable goods every school year, so let us help you reduce, reuse and recycle your way to a litter-free lunch.

Reduce

Cut back on the amount of litter you generate by swapping your brown bags for our reusable lunch bags and switching from plastic sandwich bags to sturdy reusable containers. You don’t have to make sweeping changes all at once to start cutting down on your lunch litter, though; you can start with small steps. Pick one thing each week to change, and you’ll quickly see a dramatic reduction in the amount of extra wrappers, trays and plastic containers that your lunch generates.

Reuse

Swap out disposable napkins for cloth, plastic utensils for reusable ones and washable lunch containers for sandwich bags and plastic wrap. We carry a fun, colorful line of refillable water bottles, utensils with built-in storage containers and shatterproof reusable containers designed to hold your sandwiches, leftovers and snacks, and they come in exciting design motifs sure to add some personalization and pizzazz to your child’s lunch.

Recycle

If your child left a reusable water bottle at home, it’s fine to grab a bottle of water from the vending machine; just be sure to remind him or her to recycle it once finished. Experts estimate that less than 15 percent of the plastics people use in their lunches gets recycled. Imagine how much of an impact you can make just by recycling all of the plastic, cardboard, glass and aluminum from your food packaging. You don’t always have to sacrifice convenience to pack a litter-free lunch.

Plan ahead

A good amount of lunch litter comes from food waste. Many kids only take a few bites of fruits and vegetables before discarding the rest. Invest in a good set of food storage containers. Then, buy fresh fruits, vegetables and bulk snacks. Wash the produce and cut it into bite-size pieces before packing it away in single-serving containers. Compost the rinds and skins to eliminate all traces of inedible leftovers.

Time-saving tips

At first, switching to litter-free lunches may feel like it requires extra effort. With a little planning, you can make changes that you feel good about without sacrificing too much of your free time. Pack lunch the night before while you’re packing up dinner leftovers. The next morning, your child only has to grab the container and go. Plan lunches ahead for the week so that you don’t get stuck wondering what to make. Additionally, buy your fresh produce and prep it all in one day to give your kid a week’s worth of litter-free lunches.