Practical Tips on how to have a Litter-less Lunch
Having a green lunch has a new meaning now that more and more people are becoming conscious about how their everyday habits impact the future of the Earth. Litterless lunches are gaining popularity in schools and workplaces. Many neat products have sprung up on the market that make litter-less lunches doable in a fun way.
The first step towards making any change is awareness. If we are not aware that we are doing something, like creating garbage, we will not notice that change is needed. Next time you eat at a fast-food place, start noticing soon-to-become garbage around you. The meal may last 30 minutes, think about how long the remnants of that meal will last. There are thousands of fast-food eateries in thousands of cities and thousands of people creating garbage in all corners of this continent every day. The lifespan of disposable containers is long, from gathering raw material, to manufacturing, to transporting to the distributor, then to businesses who use the containers. The actual time that the containers serve their intended use usually is a tiny fraction of their total lifespan. We eat the food, and then we toss the container. Even though we say we throw it away, it does not go away. In many cases it stays with us for a long, long time.
According to statistics, every schoolchild creates an average of 30kg of garbage per year. That’s a lot of garbage every day that can easily be avoided. With just a little pre-planning, organization and imagination we can fill our lunch on the go kits with nourishing food made from scratch.
What do you need for a litterless lunch?
 1. Lunch Bag
Large and small, colourful and plain – these days it sure is possible to find a lunch bag that suits any style and need. Lunch bags come in different shapes and forms, in an assortment of fabrics, some have a sturdy form, some are flexible, some store flat, some unzip into a place mat, some be can be carried on your back, some have a shoulder strap, some can be used for more than just lunch. When shopping for a lunch bag you have to keep a few things in mind.
- Size of your lunch bag - First decide what kind of lunch eater you are. Is that the main meal of the day or is it just an opportunity to re-energize? Make sure your regular lunch containers fit in the lunch bag of your choosing.
- Insulated versus not insulated - Most lunch bags are insulated and will help keep your food hot or cold for longer periods of time. If the lunch bag of your choice is not insulated, invest in a cold pack to keep that sandwich cool and/or acquire a thermos to keep your food warm until the break.
- Ease of cleaning – Some lunch bags, like the ones made of neoprene and cotton canvas can easily be washed in the washing machine, while others may be wiped only. Either way, keep your lunch bag clean and fresh-smelling and it will last for a long time.
- Closure – When buying a lunch bag for a child, make sure he or she can open it easily. Zippers or Velcro closures work well and will not only ensure that food stays at the desired temperature for longer periods of time, but will also guard containers from falling out and getting lost.
- Number of compartments - There are schools in Ontario that now have two nutritional/activity breaks in which children have time to eat and time to play. The Balanced Day Lunch Bag that consists of two compartments – one for each break makes it easier for parents with little kids organize their lunch. Lunch bags with multi compartments also come in handy if you would like to use one compartment for hot and one for hold foods.
 2. Lunch & Snack Containers
- It is wise to invest in various sizes of lunch and snack containers. Larger ones will be needed for the main course or salad. Medium ones will come in handy for fruit and cut up veggies and yogurt or crackers with cheese. Small containers will be great for dipping sauces and dried fruit.
- The advantage of plastic containers is that they are light-weight and if they come with snap lids, they’re easy to open by even the smallest hands. These days we are well aware that not all plastic containers are created equal. When looking for a safe-plastic container that does not leach BPA and other harmful chemicals into your food, look at the triangle code. Avoid #3, #6 & #7. Polypropylene containers which are marked with #5 are food-safe and are not known to leach any chemicals. Don’t put hot food into plastic containers and do not put any plastic containers in the microwave! Even if they are labelled as microwave safe the jury is still out there determining whether it is really safe or not.
- Leak-proof and air tight containers are important to those who like liquid lunches like soups.
- If you like your food hot, invest in a thermos or glass container that can be warmed in a microwave.
- Consider the weight of your litter-less lunch products. It is especially important for children who already are lugging around lots of school books and materials.
- Stainless steel containers come with many benefits. They are shatter-proof and lightweight and do not leach any flavours into your food. They also last for a long time and at the end of their lifespan they can be recycled.
3. Napkins.
Not only are cloth napkins great for the environment, they are light and feel pleasant on your skin. Pick colourful patterns to conceal stains from your favourite foods!
 4. Drink Containers
Store-bought water in plastic water bottles is NOT the way to go. We are very lucky to live in a place where access to clean drinking water is a reality. If you don’t like the taste of water as it comes out of the tap, consider installing a water filter. They come in many different types and prices range. Some might argue that plastic water bottles are recyclable, so what’s the fuss. Expand your mind to see beyond the buy-water-recycle-the-bottle framework. It takes resources to produce every plastic bottle. A regular water bottle will quench your thirst for 1-2 hours and then what? You are left with a bottle that even if it ends up in the recycling bin, has a long journey ahead. Many of the plastic bottles used in Canada travel long distances and even overseas for recycling.
5. Sandwich Wrappers
Those who think that sandwiches must be wrapped might want to look into reusable sandwich wrappers. They come in different patterns and sizes and can be used over and over again. Some can be wiped clean while others are even machine-washable. 
6. Cutlery
Don’t want to bring your fancy cutlery to work? Bamboo cutlery or lightweight stainless steel cutlery is a great alternative to eating with your hands or even worse - using plastic cutlery.
Common Concerns
- My child loses everything. If you are concerned about children losing their litter-less lunch products you are not alone. Properly labelling all items will help to locate the items even when they are left behind. Lovable Labels is a Canadian company that manufactures labels for different uses and are great for labelling litter-less lunch items since the labels are dishwasher and microwave-safe.
- It is time consuming. Making lunch from scratch can definitely be intimidating at first especially if there are a couple of kids in the family. Get the kids involved! Buy them a cook book and let them go wild! You could provide them with a chart to make sure they pick from each food group.
- Clean-up. Yes, the litter-less containers will require a bit more care since they need to be washed for the next day. Most of them are dishwasher safe.
- It’s not convenient! - Convenience comes with a price, financial and environmental. Change your mindset – view lunch preparation as a way to unwind after a busy day.
How green is your lunch?
These days more of us are embracing the notion of lunching without waste. Yet there is lots of room for improvement. Have you been to a food court lately? Next time you eat at a fast-food place, start noticing soon-to-become garbage around you. The meal may last 30 minutes, think about how long the remnants of that meal will last. There are thousands of fast-food eateries in thousands of cities and thousands of people creating garbage in all corners of this continent every day. The lifespan of disposable containers is long, from gathering raw material, to manufacturing, to transporting to the distributor, then to businesses who use the containers. The actual time that the containers serve their intended use usually is a tiny fraction of their total lifespan. We eat the food, and then we toss the container. Even though we say we throw it away, it does not go away. In many cases it stays with us for a long, long time.
Practical tips on how to have a lunch without waste:
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Make a fashion statement with your reusable lunch containers and lunch bags! Lunching without waste sure is fun these days when so many exciting litter-less lunch accessories have sprung up on the market.
- If you usually eat at a food court, be daring by bringing your own container and cutlery. You might get some strange looks but it sure is worth it to help the environment. Who knows, it might even start a garbage revolution?!
- When packing kids’ lunches, stay away from single-serve containers and pouches! Buy a big jar of apple sauce and get kids involved in putting it into smaller containers. Do the same with yogurt! The same also can apply to single-serve snack bags. In most cases the same products can be purchased in larger bags or even better - buy in bulk!
- Switch from paper napkins to cloth napkins and savour the softness of real cloth on your skin.
- Fill your stainless steel water bottle with a drink of your choice. The benefit will be two-fold – less garbage and more money in your wallet.
- Like hot food? Pack your left-overs in a glass container if a microwave is an option or invest in a thermos that will keep the food warm until lunch time.
- Disposable coffee cups? What coffee cups? Isn’t it time we invested in a beautiful stainless steel travel mug and tagged it along?
- Get your kids involved! Young children love helping in the kitchen – measuring, pouring, mixing, etc. Let them pack their lunches from early days. Of course, it’s easier to do it for them, but by letting them be part of the process you will foster their independence and self-sufficiency and teach them from early days that litter-less lunches are the way to go.
- Practice what you preach. If your kids see you throwing away one Tim Horton’s coffee cup after another, what message are you sending them? Look at your lunch. How much garbage do you create?
- Avoid processed and pre-packaged foods. Make from scratch! Food provides us with nourishment and filling ourselves with empty calories does not serve our bodies well.
By following simple steps your lunch hour will not end with a trip to the garbage bin. Reducing waste at lunch time does not have to be all or nothing. Every disposable coffee cup that you do not throw away counts, every piece of garbage that you do not create counts.
Going greener is not always convenient but by taking one small step at a time you might slip into a greener zone without major changes.
Every small change that you make to your lifestyle and daily habits in the name of the environment leaves a lighter footprint on this earth. We don’t have to become hard-core environmentalists to make a difference.
Jana Campbell
July 30, 2009
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