Waste free lunch box goes back to school

As kids across Wales prepare to go back to school, Waste Awareness Wales is encouraging parents to pack them a waste-free lunch box to help reduce the amount of waste sent to Welsh landfills each year.

School packed lunches often means crisp packets and other snack wrappers, drinks cartons, and lots of resulting waste which is often sent straight to landfill sites. However by making a few simple changes we can help reduce this waste.

Gwenan Davies, Development Officer for Waste Awareness Wales, explains, "Eliminating waste before it’s created is one of the many ways we can all do our bit to reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill sites. And the school or office lunch box is a great place to start. Not only can we help the environment by cutting down on excess waste, but we could save money too, as pre-packaged food is often more expensive.

"It’s easy to cut down on lunchbox waste by choosing something that’s re-usable or recyclable instead.  We can also use our purchasing power to choose products that have the least packaging.  Buying loose fruit and vegetables and re-using a lunchbox can all help reduce the amount of waste we send to landfill as well as saving us money on the weekly shopping bill."

Top tips on creating a waste-free lunch from Waste Awareness Wales:

1. Try using a reusable flask or bottle for school drinks instead of a carton or plastic bottle;
2. Avoid using foil, cling film or storage bags to wrap sandwiches and use a re-usable lunchbox instead;
3. Swap individually wrapped biscuits and crisps for packaging-free fruit and vegetables;
4. If you do put fruit in lunchboxes remember any fruit peelings or cores can be composted at home;
5. Use metal spoons instead of disposable plastic cutlery.