outer banks child

Waste Free Lunches

Saving the planet: one juice box at a time

by Patty McKenna

The easiest way to describe a “waste-free lunch” is to consider its opposite:  a “disposable lunch.” A disposable lunch might consist of a sandwich wrapped in plastic, yogurt served in a single-serving tub and a commercially packed bag of chips. It could also include a juice box, a plastic spoon and a paper napkin. After such a meal, the plastic wrap, yogurt container, plastic spoon, chip bag, juice box, straw — pause, take a breath — straw packaging and napkin get tossed in the trash.  A waste-free lunch, however, is an on-the-go menu that leaves nothing to discard. The sandwich and sides come in washable containers with a cloth napkin, reusable utensils and a drink from a refillable jug — all of which then comes home for washing and reuse.

Admittedly, making a waste-free lunch requires cleaning containers, utensils and linens each day — a potentially time- and resource-consuming activity (think: water and detergent). However, the amount of trash eliminated in return is impressive. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates the average school-age child’s disposable lunch generates 67 pounds of waste each academic year. That means Dare County students alone create 321,265 pounds of trash annually.

This waste has numerous costs: the resources devoted to hauling it, the landfill expenses to store it and the collateral damage of water pollution, soil contamination, odor and vermin infestation. As local mom and waste-free lunch packer Amanda Finchem puts it: “For me it’s pretty simple. I think it’s overwhelming when you consider the volume of paper and plastic packaging that comes into our lives, from the food we buy in the grocery store, to the toys we buy for our children, to the takeout containers from restaurants. And where is it all going? Mostly to the dump.”

Now imagine the reduction in rubbish when large institutions get on-board. One Los Angeles County school district reduced its trash output 65% by implementing waste-free lunch programs along with recycling and composting. As a result, its garbage disposal costs decreased $50,000 annually.

When discussing her choice to pack waste-free lunches for her five-year-old daughter, Fiona, Finchem explains, “For me a waste-free lunch is an easy way to lower my carbon footprint. And it’s economical too.” It turns out the typical, disposable school lunch costs $4.02 a day to make, while the waste-free alternative costs $2.64, according to estimates by wastefreelunches.org. That’s an annual savings of $248 per child. The savings are realized by reducing the use of large quantities of paper and plastic and by buying food in bulk rather than individual portions.

Furthermore, waste reduction goes hand-in-hand with “waist reduction.” Freshly prepared foods are healthier than pre-packaged, processed items containing high amounts of sugar, salt and hydrogenated fats. In addition, we tend to throw away less food from our waste-free meals because we customize menu choices and portions. And though you may buy a few supplies to get started, you’ll still save cash over all.

“I think with a little upfront investment there are some really great, easy reusable lunch options out there,” says Ivy Ingram,  who’s store Planet Pleasing Goods in Kill Devil Hills offers a selection of reusable lunch kits and creative food wrappers,  “[and they] save the consumer money in the end.”

The toughest part of making a waste-free lunch may be just changing our daily lunch-packing routine. So take the first step tomorrow by putting your sandwich in a container rather than plastic wrap. Because when large groups of people make small changes in behavior, they can move mountains — of trash, that is.

Learn more at the following websites — wastefreelunches.org, reusablebags.com, resource.nsw.gov.au, epa.gov/osw/education/lunch.htm — and always build your own waste-free lunch kit using containers that are non-leaching of materials such as PVC, phthalate, lead and BPA. A variety of these products are available at citizenpip.com, reusablebags.com, gogreeninstages.com and kidskonserve.com.

Quick Tips

• Pack in a durable lunch box that is PVC-, phthalate- and lead-free.
• Use a refillable drink bottle instead of juice boxes.
• Use reusable containers, bags or wrap mats.
• Include a cloth napkin and reusable utensils.
• Buy in bulk and purchase fresh, local and in-season food.
• Pack the night before (makes for no last- minute grabbing and going in the morning)

November 1, 2009