A Waste Free Lunch

Ladies and lads who pack their own lunch are already making an economically-savvy choice, but by packing these homemade goodies into a reusable bag, your choice is as eco-conscious as it is economical. Dining with your own reusable setup can greatly reduce the amount of aluminum needed to keep your delicious treats pristine until lunchtime. From the old-fashioned metal lunch box (go ahead, see if you can dig out The Incredible Hulk one from 30 years ago), to the updated soft plastic sacks, options abound for those seeking to tote their lunch.

Make New Friends But Keep the Old

Metal lunch boxes are retro and responsible. There is a lunch box for practically every comic book, Disney character or classic kids show, and your lunch will stay protected in its hard outer shell. You can probably even find a great “new” lunch box at your local vintage shop.

Keep it Cool

While concerns have been raised in recent years about lead in soft lunch boxes made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), there are plenty of lead-free insulated lunch bags made by companies such as Cool Totes and Built NY, which are all available online. Reusable ice packs can also come in handy to keep your food fresh.

All Inclusive

When shopping for the perfect lunch set up, consider the basics you include with each meal. The Laptop Lunches Bento Box includes not only the insulated lead-free carrying case, but also a water bottle, inner storage containers and utensils.

Take Two

Materials range from canvas to plastics, and with a little scoping, it is possible to find products enjoying a second life. Basura, for instance, makes insulated lead-free lunch boxes from recycled juice containers.

I Tend to Spill

Clean up is as important as being prepared. ACME makes organic cotton lunch bags that are reusable and machine washable. There are many other easy to clean and durable natural cloth options available, such as Mimi the Sardine, which makes colorful cloth lunch bags.

Just a Snack for Me

Don’t have a whole lunch, but still need a home for your snack on the go? SIGG’s aluminum snack boxes with snap-locks are perfect for a sandwich or snack.

What should you do when the reusable gets worn out? Use Earth 911’s recycling locator to find a company that will accept post-consumer waste vinyl, aluminum, or cotton for recycling.

Want to save even more resources and money? Try reusable cloth napkins and utensils, and pack each food item in a reusable container. Find more tips on packing a waste free lunch at wastefreelunch.org.