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.
