To avoid wastage and disorganisation, do this:
Waste-free lunch box tips:
- Buy mini containers and compartment lunch boxes (small hands can help pack their own lunches!).
- Buy snacks in bulk like unsweetened yogurt, hummus, cheese or crackers, and dispense into small reusable containers as required.
- Choose fruits and vegetables which come wrapped in their own ‘natural packaging’, such as tomatoes, snow peas, oranges, bananas, baby cucumbers and beans.
- Include fruit and vegetables in your child’s lunchbox every day. It’s a great way to make these foods a normal part of your child’s life, which can potentially lessen waste and reduce grocery costs.
- Always pack a refillable bottle of water, or a frozen water bottle on hot days.
- Wrap sandwiches in a cloth napkin, reusable beeswax wrap or a brown paper bag.
- Choose healthy, package-free options, and have students assist in making their own lunch to avoid uneaten food.
- Buy seasonal fruit and vegetables to save money and reduce food miles. Better still, grow your own!
- Avoid buying individually wrapped snacks, squeeze pouch yoghurts and single-use sandwich bags.
- Cans, yoghurt containers and juice boxes can be recycled at school in the co-mingled recycling – the Yellow Bins.
- Buy from the outstanding Merici waste-free canteen.
Felicity Maher
Sustainability Officer
