I’ll never forget the famous jingle for Ziploc bags back in the days when mom still packed my lunch; “Yellow and blue make green!”
As the zips-locked they turned green, ensuring that tuna sandwiches everywhere were secure crammed in backpacks and lunch sacks. Since those days, baggie variety has skyrocketed. Now you can buy plastic bags of practically any size or shape. Tiny snack-sized bags are all the rage with the preschool-set because they hold a dozen raisins or a few crackers, perfect for the toddler’s tummy.
The plastic mini-bags are easy to stuff in a purse or diaper bag and convenience is key, after all, as parents hurry to pack lunches during breakfast every morning. But as convenient as Baggies are, I found myself wondering if I really wanted my daughter’s pathetic lunches preserved in plastic for posterity. After all, if some dietician of the future digs them up, they’ll know that my poor toddler got stale fish crackers for lunch….again.
Then there’s the issue of waste. The number of plastic bags that meet the trashcan still half-filled with Oatie O’s is staggering. Back in the 70’s many parents didn’t think twice about wrapping everything they could in plastic. Remember the orange cheese slices? But today the pressure is high to reduce, reuse, recycle.
Recycle Works of California estimates that disposable lunches generate 4-8 ounces of trash per day per child, which can add up to as much as 100 pounds of trash per year. Much of that trash is single-use plastic, like plastic bags or plastic wrap.
Luckily, kid’s lunches are a great place to start reducing the amount of plastic we use in our homes. For example, almost every kid has a reusable lunch box; the trick is to pack food in reusable containers that are safe for food. Here are some useful tips for choosing safe food containers for kids.
Learn more about trash-free lunches here and get into the habit by starting small. Pack a cloth napkin with lunch, or invest in one of these super-handy kid-sized bento boxes if you’re ready to go totally trash-free. It’s been fun in our house to make the switch. My daughter’s lunches seem healthier too, as we rely less on packaged food for lunches. Also, trash-free can be cheaper, especially if there is a good bulk section nearby to buy from.
