Low Waste Lunches are a great way to get young people to begin to think about “Rubbish” or “Waste” and what they are throwing in the bin.
“Rubbish” is actually made from valuable resources, for example paper is made from trees, plastics are made from crude oil, coal and natural gas. It takes a lot of water, raw materials and energy to make “Rubbish”, so it’s important to try and AVOID, REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE wherever possible.
All of us throw things out everyday without considering the environmental impact of what we are doing. Packing a low waste lunch is easy. Here’s how……
Low Waste Lunches AVOID:
· Plastic wrap and foil
· Disposable items like plates knives and forks
· Paper lunch wrap
· “Gimmicky” packaged items e.g. chips, biscuits, small yoghurts, individually wrapped serves of food
Low Waste Lunches REUSE:
· Use re-useable containers that can be washed out
· Use a re-usable drink bottle which can be used many times
· Use recyclable and/or compostable packaging over disposable packaging (e.g. Plastic wrap)
· Cheese and biscuits or yoghurt which are taken from larger containers and repacked into a re-useable smaller container will avoid extra packaging waste and
ensure that your child can reseal the food if needed
· Are often much healthier. They can encourage children to eat more fresh food packed in suitable quantities, instead of eating “gimmicky” snack foods.
