LUNCH BOX TIPS

How to Pack a WASTE FREE LUNCH

As a King County Green School, our school encourages waste reduction and recycling in the lunchroom and classrooms. Students sort their lunch waste into recyclable materials (including milk cartons and juice boxes, plastic bottles and aluminum cans) and trash.

We also encourage waste prevention – or reducing waste in the first place. Waste reduction actions conserve valuable resources and save money.

Easy ways to make a waste-free lunch for your child:

• PACK ONLY WHAT YOUR CHILD CAN EAT: Have your child bring home everything they don’t eat so you can see what they are able to eat in a lunch period. Only pack a half-sandwich if that’s all your child can eat during lunch.

• USE REUSABLE CONTAINERS to pack the lunch: There are many options for purchase. Visit  www.laptoplunches.comorwww.reusies.com — or use any durable plastic containers instead of plastic baggies.

USE A REFILLABLE DRINK BOTTLE instead of disposable containers

More than half of what ends up in our landfill can be easily recycled. To save valuable resources from going to waste and to save money on your garbage bill by shrinking your garbage cart size, take the One Less Bag Challenge.    

Your children recycle at school and it’s easier than you think to recycle more – including food scraps and food soiled paper — at home.

King County residents outside the city of Seattle may take the One Less Bag Challenge and receive FREE recycling tools (10 compostable bags to get you started with food scrap recycling, a spatula to help with the hard-to-clean containers such as peanut butter jars, and a recycling do’s and don’ts booklet with a refrigerator magnet). For more information, visit http://your.kingcounty.gov/solidwaste/garbage-recycling/one-less-bag.asp.

If you live in a house and have yard waste service, you can recycle all your food scraps and food-soiled paper in your yard waste cart. Here’s how:

Step #1: Find the best kitchen food scrap container for you.  Here are options.

• A paper bag. Recycle the bag along with the food scraps.
• A reusable plastic container with a lid. Empty the contents into your yard waste cart and then reuse the container.
• Ceramic, bamboo or stainless steel food scrap collection containers.
• Approved kitchen compostable bags (visit the website to find out where to purchase compostable bags) make collection free of mess and odor.

Step #2: Collect food scraps and soiled paper

• Gather scraps such as meat, fish, bones, vegetable and fruit trimmings, bread, pasta and coffee grounds.
• Plastic and plastic- or wax-coated paper, such as milk cartons, are NOT allowed, but paper plates such as Chinet-brand are compostable.
• If you’re concerned about odors or fruit flies, place your food scraps in compostable bags, a closed paper bag or store in the freezer until collection day.

Step #3: Add them to your yard waste cart

• When your kitchen container fills up, dump the contents into your yard waste cart.
• No yard waste service? Contact your waste hauler to subscribe.

For recycling tips and more, visitwww.kingcounty.gov/recyclemore or www.recyclefood.com, or become a Recycle More Facebook friend at www.facebook.com/recyclemore.

Parent Newsletter Article One Less Bag Challenge Spring 2013