Here at the No Plastic Project , "litterless lunch" doesn't just mean no litter at school; it means lunches that involve little or no plastic waste at all, because plastic creates permanent toxic pollution.
And it's not that hard to avoid it in school lunches, despite the ever more ridiculous variety of single-serve items marketed to harried parents. (If you don't believe me, look at this crazy idea ! Who would have thought they could sell anyone that ?)
Going no-plastic is generally cheaper and healthier, too. (See wastefreelunches.org for some ideas and a cost breakdown.)
First, you need a reusable lunchbag or box. Our kids have bags made out of recycled plastic water bottles, purchased two years ago at Ready, Set, Go in the Glebe. But there are plenty of other sturdy options. I emphasize "sturdy" because our old lunchbags never lasted much more than a year, and that's obviously not environmentally friendly.
Next, you need resusable containers, preferably not plastic. Most of our old plastic food containers now hold craft materials, game pieces, pencils, etc., and for lunches, we mainly use stainless steel.
We have three favourites: one is a double-decker that fits a sandwich, crackers, savoury pie, or other main dish on the bottom, and fresh veggies or a dessert on top. We also use a lot of small, round stainless steel containers with clip-on, sealed tops, perfect for applesauce, pudding, fruit slices, veggies, cookies, muffins, pretzels, sunflower seeds, and other small snacks. We use larger ones for other items. Finally, we use insulated containers for things like soup, chili, or yoghurt. I have yet to find any that use no plastic at all, but the Lunchbots containers I bought this year at Ready, Set, Go have no plastic touching the food because the inside of the lids are made of stainless steel (unlike the Thermos and other brands which have plastic inside the lid).
These containers are readily available now in many stores. You can get them, for instance, at Ready, Set, Go or Arbor in the Glebe or on-line from vendors such as lifewithoutplastic.com or noplastic.ca (no connection to us).
I also pack a cloth napkin and a stainless steel spoon or fork when needed, and sometimes a water bottle.
What goes into the lunches themselves? The real issue is what doesn't go in: no single-serve, individually-packaged products! (See our tips for grocery shopping for more ideas.) Most of that packaging can't be recycled, and recycling is not the answer to the plastic pollution problem anyway. I'll say it again: recycling is not a sustainable solution! (Here's a link we've posted before that helps explain why.)
Instead of single-serve mini yoghurts , or mini applesauce, fruit, or pudding cups, buy these items in glass jars or large containers with as little plastic packaging as possible and put them into individual containers yourself. Or put sliced fruit straight into a container. My kids love chopped apple with yoghurt and granola in their lunches.
Instead of single-serve cheese and cracker packages, granola bars, individually-wrapped cookies, etc. , make your own or buy in bulk (trying to avoid disposable packaging), and send servings in your own reusable cloth wrappers (available in many stores and on-line) or containers. My kids love homemade pita, bread, or crackers with hummus, which I make or buy in bulk in my own container at Cedars on Bank Street.
Instead of juice boxes or single-serve plastic drink bottles , serve from a large container of juice into a reusable bottle, or send water in a stainless steel water bottle. My kids mainly just drink from the school water fountains. (See this resource if you have ever been tempted by plastic-bottled water.)
Instead of candy bars, mini bags of chips, trail mix, raisins, etc. , make treats, or buy snacks in bulk, or chocolate bars in paper wrap to be divided into your own individual serving containers. Pretzels, purchased in bulk in my own bags in bulk from Kardish or The Natural Food Pantry are a lunch mainstay in our family, and I've even been known to send a handful of chocolate chips (also a bulk buy) as a surprise.
Instead of instant nood les, soups or other ready-serve items , heat and send dinner leftovers in a thermos. Two of my kids much prefer soups, chili, pasta, stir fry, and other entrées over sandwiches for lunch.
There are lots of ways to help make no-plastic lunches easier on busy mornings. We bake cookies, squares, loaves, and other treats on weekends, and divvy them up into individual containers for lunches. I usually make a lot at a time and put some in the freezer to keep them fresh longer. I also often make double recipes of dinner to have extra on hand for lunches the next day. Having clementines or apples on hand during the winter is a great time-saver, since you don't have to do anything with them except throw them in the lunchbox.
Making no-plastic lunches may take a little longer than using pre-packaged single-serve items. But not much longer. And considering the financial and environmental savings, and the fact that it usually means a healthier lunch, I think it's well worth it.
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