4th of 7 Ways to Zero Waste-Achieving a Zero Waste Lunchbox at School and Work: Frugal Fairfielder Edition

Here’s another way to keep the green while being green:

Way #4 – Save loads of money and reduce your carbon footprint with a Zero Waste Lunch box at school and at work. 

Thankfully, someone else has done some research on how much you can save using reusable items in your lunchbox. Granted, it was done by an outfit called, “EcoLunchboxes,” not exactly an objective party, but still, it offers a foundation of numbers from which to work. It’s also based on school lunches and 180 days of a school year, but again, you can work some math magic using their chart as a starting point. See their 2015 Lunch Waste Study here.

Tips to keep motivated:

• start with replacing just one thing in your lunch box that is reusable.
• make a goal – choose a number of days or which days you want to have at least one aspect of your lunch. For example, if it is one day, consider making it the same day each week.
• look for sales on the web. I started that way by finding a great deal on a set of Lunchbots. Dear husband found great deals on Kleen Kanteen insulated stainless steel bottles that were on clearance because of their winter design.
• building a routine takes time and effort. Always congratulate yourself for the time and effort you take to accomplish something great. Here’s your help to form a habit that sticks. Small steps can lead to bigger steps.

Below are some of the products we use. There are so many out there. Find the ones that suit you best.

It may seem expensive at first, but think of the hundreds of dollars you will save year after year with a Zero Waste Lunch box for each member of your family. One aspect that is not factored into the study is the health cost of avoiding harmful plastics and choosing to pack real vs. processed food for lunch. Cheap is not affordable, folks! As I like to say, your health is your wealth! (Speaking of health, it is possible to eat healthy on a budget. This link has links to posts by both Marilyn and me.)

Way #5, the next post, will include Zero Waste Lunch box items that are not pictured: cloth napkins and reusable straws.
~Aimee, TFF