Most parents pack lunch items in single-use plastic bags, aluminum foil, or wax paper, or they purchase single-serving items that come in their own disposable package. Admittedly, these products are extremely convenient, but what is the environmental cost to a country that relies so heavily on them? Landfills are full and overflowing. Incinerators pump contaminants into the air. Communities are battling over who will accept the nation's trash.

Much of the trash we generate comes from the packaging on the food we buy, and lunch foods are no exception. In fact, it has been estimated that on average a school-age child using a disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of waste per school year. That equates to 18,760 pounds of lunch waste for just one average-size elementary school.

How do you pack a waste-free lunch?

• START WITH A REUSABLE LUNCHBOX, BACKPACK, OR BRIEF CASE�Avoid disposable plastic and paper bags.
• PACK YOUR FOOD IN REUSABLE CONTAINERS� Avoid plastic bags, plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and prepackaged foods whenever possible.
• INCLUDE A DRINK IN A REFILLABLE BOTTLE�Avoid single-use juice boxes, drink bottles, cans, and pouches whenever you can.
• ADD REUSABLE UTENSILS�
• USE A CLOTH NAPKIN� Eliminate paper napkins.

(Image provided by Earth Fare.)

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