Consider Reusable Sandwich Wrappers as Stocking Stuffers This Year

Often when I'm teaching, the groups that I work with stay over for lunch between programs. I like to join them to continue getting to know the visitors and also to talk to them about reducing the amount of waste in their lunches. I like to discuss the idea of "Zero Waste" lunches. A zero waste lunch is when you have no waste left over after you eat because you eat all the food, compost what isn't eaten, recycle plastics, and re-use containers. It's fun to challenge a class to do this for a whole year and also to have competitions between classes by weighing the food and waste produced or left over in the trash after the end of a meal.

I find that most of the students and teachers know a little bit about bringing lunch boxes or reusable bags, and sometimes recycling, but they haven't heard of alternatives to plastic bags for chips or sandwiches (though some may suggest Tupperware, which can be bulky).

I like to share with them one of my favorite products, called the Wrap-N-Mat, and show them an example in my lunch bag. The Wrap-N-Map is a pretty simple concept, it's essentially a cloth covered square (in a neat pattern), with a plastic lined interior for easy cleaning, and a Velcro closure. They come in a variety of sizes from jumbo to mini-bags.

Kids love these bags because they come in neat patterns. I personally like skulls and dinosaurs. their compact design means that they fit well in small lunch boxes, purses, or backpacks. Because of the plastic lining they are easy to clean with a damp cloth at home. They run about $9 each but you can also buy packs too. Of course, you can make these fairly easy too if you're handy. You can visit the Instructables website to learn how to make your own.

Christmas can be a time to inspire eco-friendly habits, and this is a good place to start. For other ideas on reducing lunch waste visit Waste Free Lunches.org.