Every day, more than 20 million sandwich bags from school lunches go into landfills in the U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency estimated 3,960,000 tons of plastic bags, sack and wraps were produced in 2008. Of those, 3,570,000 tons (90%) were discarded. Sandwich and snack bags are typically used one time and then thrown out. Brown paper lunch bags, which are easily recycled, are often thrown in school cafeteria lunch cans. There are alternatives to these wasteful habits.
Reusable Sandwich and Snack Bags
Traditional plastic zip top bags are expensive, contribute waste in landfills and come in one color – clear. Several companies have designed practical and fun reusable sandwich and snack bags.
Lunchskins offers three different size bags – snack, sandwich and sub, designed to hold a 6-inch hoagie or two sandwiches. All of the Lunchskins bags are dishwasher safe and come in a variety of patterns and colors in food safe fabric. The company donates 1% of its online profit to C&O Canal Trust and it offers fundraising opportunities for schools. Lunchskins also sells reusable and dishwasher safe spoons and forks made from cornstarch.
Reuseit.com maintains a running counter of the number of plastic bags used this year. They sell reusable products in many categories, including sandwich and snack bags. They offer clear, reusable plastic bags in sandwich and snack size. All bags come with adjustable Velcro closures and have a built-in placemat. Reuseit pledges 1% of its sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment by donating to a variety of non-profit organizations and environmental clubs and institutions.
The company SnackTAXI was created by a mother of three in 2003 when she wanted to cut back on the number of plastic sandwich bags in her kids' school lunches. All products are made in a home-based workshop by local sewers. The exterior of a snackTAXI is comprised of 100% cotton, and the interior is lined with polyurethane coated nylon. These products can be machine washed. SnackTaxis come in three different sizes – snack, sandwich and lunch sack.
Another mom-inspired company, ReSnackIt, offers Velcro-enclosed, washable reusable bags for purchase online or in several retail locations. New colors and patterns are added often to the line of ReSnackIt bags, which are all made in the U.S.
Reusable Lunch Totes
Throwaway brown paper lunch bags are a thing of the past with reusable lunch bags available in all shapes, styles and colors. Catalog and internet shoppers will find a wide variety of options at retailers such as LLBean, Land's End, Target, PB Teen and Vera Bradley. Look for totes that are free of lead, PBA, PVC and phthalates.
As the new school year gets underway, re-think the packed lunch. The Worldwatch Institute estimates that Americans throw away some 100 billion plastic bags each year. Save money, and the earth, by investing in reusable lunch, sandwich and snack bags.
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