Eco Litterless Lunch

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Take a moment to think about how many students bring lunches to school over a single year. Can you imagine how much waste that produces? There is more awareness about garbage reduction in schools but is it enough? There are many ways to pack a lunch that eliminates or reduces your garbage quite a bit. Let’s go over a few tips for your lunch kit.

As you may have read on our home page, a reusable insulated lunch cooler will help keep foods hot or cold. Some of these bags have multiple compartments so you can handle different temperature foods. Also keep in mind that it important to keep these as clean as possible and wash them regularly to prevent mold and bacteria from multiplying.

Since the beginning of the tuber ware fad, reusable containers have come a long way. There are so many varieties of plastic and other reusable containers that you would be silly not to use them. They come in all shapes and sizes for everything from soups and salads to steak and pizza. If you need to keep the food inside cold, you may try wrapping an ice pack in plastic and inserting it directly in the container. Even though an insulated lunch cooler will keep in temperatures, sometimes the cold won’t penetrate deep enough to prevent food from spoiling or bacteria from multiplying. This is especially important during the summer months with meat and milk products.

There is no need to buy or take packets of ketchup or other condiments. You can get small multi-compartment containers to load up with your favorite sauces. Not only will it be cheaper, but you will be saving on a lot of waste that adds up over the course of one year.

A lot of places don’t offer a microwave to heat food, and even if they do it seems there is a line forever waiting. The alternative is to buy a glass lined thermos or vacuum thermos which will keep your food piping hot. However you won’t be able to stuff chicken parts or other large food items in them.

Reusable water bottles are another great waste saver. The amount of plastic going in to the ground is absolutely incredible. With the latest information about chemicals leeching out of the bottles when they become warm is another cause for concern. Your best bet is to spend a few extra dollars and buy a good sports water bottle that can be frozen and heated without problem. Be sure to make sure it doesn’t contain any harmful chemicals that may leech in to your drink.

Instead of using napkins or paper towels, start using reusable cloth napkins. They can be reused for a long time and when it comes time to toss them in the garbage, you can do so knowing that they will biodegrade quickly. You would be wise to put them in the recycle bin if your local city supports it.

If there aren’t any recycling programs at work or school, ask them to see if they would like to start. A lot of companies have already started and there may even be extra company benefits for doing so. The more we do to protect our environment, the better the future will be.