Just One Thing: Green Your Child’s Lunch Box

Nearly one-third of all the waste produced in the United States comes from packaging, and food packaging comprises half of that amount, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says.

School lunches are part of the problem.  The average school-age child generates 67 pounds of waste per school year through their disposable lunches, according to the U.S. Energy Information Association.

If every American child attending a public elementary school packed a waste-free lunch, landfill waste would be reduced by about 1.2 billion pounds every year.

There’s a growing movement to do just that.

Many schools across the nation have started doing litter-free lunches.

Within two months, Millbridge Elementary School in Delran, N.J., reduced lunch trash by nearly 45 pounds per meal.

The key is to pack the meal properly and avoid using anything that is disposable.

Laura Fortner from Cafemom.com had a few tips:

• When you’re packing sandwiches, don’t use plastic bags or Cling wrap.  Pack sandwiches in re-usable containers.
• Same goes for snacks. Buy them in bulk and pack them in re-usable containers.  Don’t buy pre-packaged food.
• For drinks, pack a thermos or steel water bottle. Don’t use drinks in disposable containers.
• Use re-usable utensils.
• Finally,  pack it all in a re-usable bag or lunch box.

Visit the following Web sites to get more information:

www.cafemom.com/litterfree
http://www.epa.gov/osw/wycd/catbook/tip1.htm
http://www.ecomall.com/greenshopping/wastefree.htm
http://www.wastefreelunches.org/
http://www.litterfreelunch.com/
http://www.ooffoo.com/listing/Zero-waste-lunchboxes—how-to-pack-a-healthy-rubbish-free-lunch.aspx
http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/school_lunch.htm