the plastic sandwich bag flunks

[Anonymous]

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/27/business/energy-environment/education-officials-and-retailers-push-for-environmentally-friendly-school-lunches.html?ref=education

Does anyone have any experience with the products listed in the article, good or bad?

Extreme flap lunch box
Yak Pak lunch tote
Bento boxes from container store
SnackTaxis
Bobble water bottles with filter (what kind of filter?)
PeopleTowels

I already reuse all dry food bags (bread, cereal, nuts etc.) to pack lunches but on rare occasions we run out and I haven't bought ziplock bags in three years and refuse to do so to save my life, so additional options would be good.

[Anonymous]

someone told me about EasyLunchboxSystem

http://www.easylunchboxes.com/

Which looks like a bento box I guess.

[Anonymous]

Wegman's has "Lunchbots." I've been thinking of getting some. You can see their products online at www.Lunchbots.com. They seem a little pricey, but I guess they are built to last.

[Anonymous]

Is there any reason to avoid the plastic reusable containers? I know people are worried about chemicals from plastic but isn't it OK as long as you aren't heating them up?

[Anonymous]

I have also bought from here: http://www.etsy.com/people/WasteNotSaks?ref=ls_profile

The bags are easily washable -- either in the dishwasher or inside out in the washing machine.

[Anonymous]

Bento boxes did not work for us because the portion sizes were all wrong at least for our family. think about what you send before you use them. Frankly I just bot shallow ziploc plastic bowls and reuse them every day.

[Anonymous]

We are selling these this year. I like the idea better than cloth reusable bags because of the potential for the cloth bags to mold in the corners...

http://www.cattiwampus.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=Sandwich+keeper&Search.x=0&Search.y=0

We only have one pattern left but will get more in a week. Also all back to school is 40% off

Wendy
Http://www.cattiwampus.com

[Anonymous]

We experienced this at our summer camp. It's funny because my kids kept losing their expensive containers. I felt like we actually hurt the environment because the items we lost seemed worse than some sandwich bags.

We have a neighbor who is tearing down a perfectly nice house to build a green house. That doesn't seem very green to me.

Also, everyone says to but local food, but I wonder if that old delivery truck that brings 'local' food from the Eastern Shore or from Pennsylvania to the 'local' farmer's market is as efficient a plane packed with fresh food from California. I am not completely sure of the right answer, but I have wondered.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are selling these this year. I like the idea better than cloth reusable bags because of the potential for the cloth bags to mold in the corners...

http://www.cattiwampus.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=Sandwich+keeper&Search.x=0&Search.y=0

We only have one pattern left but will get more in a week. Also all back to school is 40% off

Wendy
Http://www.cattiwampus.com

I'm the one who posted the link to the bags above. These have a water-resistant interior and we've never had a problem with mold (ew!). We use them for dry items, like pretzels or goldfish. I wash them out at night and let them dry inside-out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I already reuse all dry food bags (bread, cereal, nuts etc.) to pack lunches but on rare occasions we run out and I haven't bought ziplock bags in three years and refuse to do so to save my life, so additional options would be good.

Maybe we're bad people, but we love ziplock bags . . .

[Anonymous]

We use Ziplok and reusable tupperware type things. I don't think yo uare a bad person at all. But I like the idea of a plastic bento box with just one lid to have to find. Looking for lids drives me crazy.

[Anonymous]

We use these containers from Container Store and have been very happy.
http://www.containerstore.com/shop/backtoSchool/lunchtimeEssentials/foodContainers?productId=10025083&N=80237

[Anonymous]

I have cup size gladware containers that I have been reusing for years. My middle school son started out eating baby food out of them in daycare. Occasionally something doesn't fit and I use a bag but not often.. Just run them through the dishwasher or rinse.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I already reuse all dry food bags (bread, cereal, nuts etc.) to pack lunches but on rare occasions we run out and I haven't bought ziplock bags in three years and refuse to do so to save my life, so additional options would be good.

Maybe we're bad people, but we love ziplock bags . . .

You are not a bad person, put possibly you are ignorant of the collective harm all this throw-away plastic does to the environment.

I was where you are. I loved Zip-Locks, and I refused to get rid of them.

But then I read No Impact Man by Colin Beavan, and changed my mind.

I stopped buying Zip-Lock bags a year ago, after reading Beavan's book.

I started saving plastic take-out containers, rinsing out #5 plastic food containers and re-using them for kids lunches, storing food, and other uses.

I also save plastic bread bags and zippered food bags, such as the ones rice or granola are packaged in. I save plastic take-out cups and plastic take-out containers from restaurants, and carry them in my car to use as needed. I also carry cloth napkins in my car and avoid using paper napkins.

It takes a little effort, but I feel glad I've avoided buying more plastic and paper during the past year. If everyone did the same thing, we'd cut back on oil consumption and reduce the number of trees we cut down to make single-use products that are thrown away.

My child's lunch box (bought from Target) contains:
--sandwich packed in hummos container from Trader Joe's (round and flat, perfect shape for sandwiches)
--crackers packed in hummos container from Trader Joe's
--milk in rubbermaid juice-box-shaped container I bought at CVS
--fruit packed in small rubbermaid or other small plastic container something came in (can't remember what).
--cloth napkin
--Thermos bottle from Target for soups, pasta, etc.
--metal fork or spoon as needed

All the plastics in DC's lunch are #5. I never put them in the dishwasher, which causes the plastic to deteriorate and leach chemicals. #5 is considered the safest, but if it gets worn looking, I throw it out.

A year ago, we collected our (dry) trash for a week and looked at what we were throwing out. It turned out to be mostly food packaging and take-out containers. Now we save most of those and re-use them, and we've cut back enormously on the amount of trash we generate. We also recycle as much as we can, and donate bags of compost that our school sends to a commercial composter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I already reuse all dry food bags (bread, cereal, nuts etc.) to pack lunches but on rare occasions we run out and I haven't bought ziplock bags in three years and refuse to do so to save my life, so additional options would be good.

Maybe we're bad people, but we love ziplock bags . . .

I don't think you're a bad person. But perhaps you haven't heard of the Great Pacific and the Great Atlantic Garbage Patches? The former is estimated to be twice the size of Texas, and most of it is made up of little pieces of plastic that has only been used once.

And it takes petroleum products to make all that plastic. It's good for Saudi Arabia, bad for our trade deficit, bad for the economy, bad for the environment...