The average child is said to produce 67 pounds (30 kg) of trash at lunch a year, which really adds up. In that trash? Sandwich baggies—some say more than 20 million go from lunchbox to landfill every day. This is easily avoided—for kids and adults alike—by switching to a reusable baggies. You’ll reduce waste and save natural resources, too.
Plastic bags are petroleum derived and energy-intensive to make. They’re used very briefly, seldom recycled, do not biodegrade, and can make their way into our waterways where they—with other plastic items—create giant garbage patches. These can harm aquatic life and even humans who eat wild seafood.
Your school might already be suggesting waste-free lunches. This is both educational and saves money on disposables as well as trash collection.
Switching to reusable bags is easy. The key is making sure you have enough bags (two to four per lunch eater), keeping them clean, and getting them back and forth to your house. Write names on them and teach older kids (and spouses) to rinse them out.
Find reusable baggies made of a safe material that your kid and you really like. Avoid any that contain PVC (which environmentalists like to call the poison plastic). These are not safe around food. Look for tried and true materials that are known to be safe, including organic cotton.
Can’t find any locally? Shop online. Some can even go in the dishwasher!
Don’t forget reusable lunchboxes, utensils, cloth napkins, and water bottles.
Bon appetit!
The gropak kit comes with six washable, reusable storage bags to replace disposable plastic lunch bags. Perfect for snacks, sandwiches, and lunch on the go, these zippered pouches are also handy for bulk food shopping trips and for keeping toiletries tidy when traveling.
Use offer code "balovespg10" at checkout.
You should also see the (re)zip snack 6 pak and (re)zip bulk 4 pak reusable storage bags. Check out BlueAvocado on Facebook.
