Packing from home is less expensive than a school lunch or an hour out with your co-workers, even if you think outside the box. With a waste free lunch concept, it can be even more affordable. You’ll need to start with the lunch box; consider plastic lunch totes, a Bento box or-our personal favorite—laptop lunch boxes.

Rather than packing an entree in a costly sandwich bag, consider placing it directly on the clean lunch box surface or in a reusable plastic container. You can avoid the rest of the disposables too. There is no need to buy paper napkins or plastic forks if you bring them from home. This idea also saves your children precious lunch time in the cafeteria when they can skip heading to the trash can after their meal is complete.

Instead of purchasing individual servings (such as yogurt or applesauce) that are costly and include wasteful packaging, fill reusable containers with the same offerings out of larger packages. Skip the juice box and fill a quality thermos from home. For more information about waste free lunches, visit WasteFreeLunches.org.

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