Save money and natural resources by making your lunch at home. A prepackaged lunch for a child can cost about $4.02 a day compared to $2.65 a day for a waste-free lunch—a savings of about $250 per year. Adults can save even more! When a take-out meal costs $6 compared to $3.50 for a home-packed lunch—an adult can save about $100,000 over a 30-year career by packing lunch from home. Plus, whenever you create less waste, you reduce the need for disposal, save energy, prevent pollution and conserve natural resources such as coal, oil, natural gas and trees.
Good Green Habits to a Waste-free Lunch
- Pack only what you can eat.
- Store sandwiches and snacks in reusable containers.
- Provide whole fruits and vegetables without packaging.
- Offer beverages in reusable or recyclable containers.
- Purchase bulk food rather than individually packaged items.
- Carry lunches in reusable bags or totes.
- Avoid: individually wrapped snacks; plastic wrap/baggies; and disposable forks, spoons and straws.
Source: USEPA
Hanah Snavely of Ideal Bites discusses saving money and natural resources by taking your lunch:
