When I first started sending Kiddo to school with lunch, I packed everything in sturdy, long-lasting Tupperware® containers but after a few failed to either come home or show up in the lost and found, I decided zippered plastic sandwich bags would be better.
But then the paper-trail of guilt trips started flooding in (ironic, how much paper has been printed to encourage litter-free lunches). At her current school, they ask that Fridays are litter-free (my guess is that the janitorial staff come in before school and if there's no stinky balogna sandwiches and apple cores leftover, it's easier to deal with on Monday morning).
Of course Kiddo figured out the loophole herself -- she just packs her plastic sandwich bags, leftover crusts included, back home where at least I can compost the crusts. I realize, compost aside, this seems environmentally irresponsible but I'm pretty sure that for the same amount of plastic/energy/cost that goes into one Glad or Ziploc semi-disposable container I can get away with a few bags.
3 comments:
Do you re-use the bags? I find the zipper ones have a good 3 or so uses out of them (depending how they're used) before they're holey or grotey.
I bought Theya a laptop lunch kit and I HOPE it's loveliness will make her feel a little careful about making sure all parts get home!
Actually, I do try to reuse what doesn't come home in shreds. I've tried sending special containers and, yes, they usually come home but not always. Kiddo is pretty rough on her belongings. Sigh.
I think we all do our best to minimize trash - reusing ziploc bags is good, but even then they do eventually bite it. But the more often you can use them, the less you have to buy them and it takes longer for them to find their way to the trash bin.
It's tough to be completely trash free.
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