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Global Stewards Logo - Eco Tips and Sustainable Solutions

eco tips and sustainable solutions for a healthy planet

 

Pack a Waste-Free Lunch

 

A waste-free lunch means that you have no trash to throw away when you're done (just compostables such as apple cores, banana and orange peels, peach or cherry pits). The best way to reduce trash is to not create it. (source: Environmental Forum of Marin)

 

Five Simple Ways to Pack a Waste-Free Lunch

 

YES
NO
REUSABLE carrier (cloth bag, lunchbox)
NO throw-away bags
REUSABLE containers
NO plastic wrap, foil or styrofoam
THERMOS for drinks
NO single-use cartons or cans
CLOTH NAPKIN to wash and re-use
NO paper napkins
SILVERWARE to wash and re-use
NO plastic forks and spoons

 

Lunch Waste Facts

 

ALUMINUM FOIL
600,000 tons of aluminum foil is produced every year in America. A large amount of electricity is used in manufacturing foil.
ALUMINUM AND TIN CANS
Half of the 100 billion cans sold in the U.S. last year were landfilled or incinerated.
BANANA AND ORANGE PEELS
As food decomposes in a landfill it generates harmful greenhouse gases such as methane (try composting or vermiculture!)
JUICE BOXES
Inorganic waste may take hundreds of year to decompose, or may not decompose at all.
PAPER BAGS AND NAPKINS
It is estimated that 17 trees are cut down for every ton of non-recycled paper
PLASTIC BOTTLES, FORKS, WRAP
Every year, Americans throw away enough paper and plastic cups, forks, and spoons to circle the equator 300 times.
STYROFOAM
Styrofoam is very difficult to recycle. The best way to protect the environment is to stop using it.