Lunch Kits - Waste-Free Lunch Series

Long before my son started preschool, I was in search for reusable food and beverage containers. It just made sense to me to reuse products instead of throwing them away. Before the BPA and phthalate-free products came into the market, parents were packing lunch in metal or plastic lunch boxes and plastic thermoses; I certainly had my share. Parents today are more label conscious and look for products that are less toxic than their predecessors.


Waste-free lunch kits help reduce waste by providing a reusable bag and containers. Although you can certainly create your own and personalize the kit to your taste, I found some on the web that make packing lunch for kids a breeze. The ones I included in this post met my criteria, which contain: (1) a reusable bag or carrying case and (2) eco-friendly containers for both food and beverage. Aesthetically, they each have unique features that appeal to a wide variety of personalities and taste. I do not own any of the following products and therefore, can not comment on their performance. The information presented below were obtained from the company's website. For more information about the companies and the products they offer, please go to the respective websites.

	Bag	Food Container			Beverage Container		Maintenance	Price
	Material	Material	Dimensions (inches)	Microwave Safe	Material	Vol
Go Green Lunch Box™	fabric: polyester lining: polyethylene vinyl acetate (PEVA)	polypropylene plastic #5	12x7.5x2.5	yes	stainless steel grade 304	8 oz.	case: wipe clean containers: warm soapy water	$32.99
Goodbyn®	N/A	polypropylene plastic #5	13x8.5x3	no	high density polyethylene plastic #2	8 oz.	top rack dishwasher	$25.95
Laptop Lunches	polypropylene plastic #5	container: polypropylene plastic #5 lid: polyethylene plastic #2	9x7x2.25	yes, not lids	bottle: polyethylene lid: polypropylene	22 oz.	bag: wipe clean containers: top rack dishwasher	$49.99
lunchopolis™	fabric: 600 denier nylon lining: aluminum	container: polypropylene plastic #5 lid: polyethylene plastic #2	4 containers: large: 5.25x3.75x2.75 medium: 5.25x3.75x1.375 small: 3.75x2.25x1.375	no	bottle: polypropylene lid: polyethylene	15 oz.	bag: washing machine containers/ bottles: top rack dishwasher	starting at $21.99

In what ways are your lunch waste-free? How do you minimize waste when packing lunch?


Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. The opinions expressed in this post are solely mine. I received permission to post company images on my blog.