Can my child’s lunch be made zero waste, without paying for school lunches?

Yes, it can. By making school lunches more eco-friendly, and by continuing encouragements to recycle and compost, major gains in lunch waste reduction can be achieved.

Some helpful guidelines are…

• The containers that are used for the food should be reusable. (No chip bags, juice boxes, or food wrap. Also, no throw-away utensils; metal or durable plastic instead.)
• All food must be eaten or composted. (Uneaten, nonperishable items should be brought home for another lunch.)

An added bonus of paying attention to these guidelines is that you can determine what materials your child’s lunch containers are made of. For example, items made from #7 plastic often contains BPA, a chemical that has been linked to a variety of conditions, and should not be used as food or drink containers.

By giving your child a lunch with no BPA plastic, reusable containers, and good food, you’ll be helping them to provide them good personal health, but a healthy environment as well.