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 Waste-Free Lunches
Did you know that each child taking a disposable lunch to school creates an average of 67 pounds of lunch waste each year? Take that and multiply it by the number of students we have in our building this year and it adds up to 20,770 pounds of lunch waste. As a "Green" school, we are continually mindful of the environment and what can be done to promote good environmental practices. In keeping with that thought, we will be implementing a "waste-free" lunch program.
Why pack a waste-free lunch?
- LANDFILLS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA ARE REACHING CAPACITY—New landfills are built farther from the source of the waste, leading to increased disposal fees, truck traffic, air pollution, and wear and tear on local roads.
- INCINERATORS CREATE AIR POLLUTION—If your trash is incinerated, creating less trash will reduce the amount of harmful emissions in the air you breathe.
- CHILDREN LEARN TO CARE FOR THE PLANET—Packing a wastefree lunch is just one way that children can learn to REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE, AND COMPOST.
- SCHOOLS COULD SAVE MONEY—Money normally spent on waste hauling can be used in the classroom instead.
What is a waste-free lunch?
Here are some waste-free lunch packing tips:
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- AVOID paper or plastic bags
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- REUSABLE containers (Tupperware, plastic)
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- AVOID plastic wrap, foil, wax, or styrofoam
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- REUSABLE drink bottle or thermos
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- AVOID single-use cans, bottles, or cartons
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- CLOTH NAPKIN to wash and re-use
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- SILVERWARE to wash and re-use
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- AVOID plastic forks/spoons
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- AVOID over-packaged snacks
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To kick-off our waste-free lunch program, we have instituted Waste-Free Wednesdays to try to get students to begin bringing in waste-free lunches. Fifth graders have been researching this topic and have created posters, written morning announcements, and they have been educating the students in classrooms around the building. Please help us make this program successful by beginning to send your children to school with a waste-free lunch every Wednesday!
Got questions? Contact Mrs. Fawcett or Mrs. Lannon and they can answer your questions for you!
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