Maybe it’s straying a little far from my focus on “kids and food, in school and out” but in the near future I plan to post about the unconscionable amount of unrecycled paper and styrofoam waste generated by the lunch program in my own school district (Houston ISD) and presumably elsewhere in the country. I haven’t yet researched it, but my sense is that this waste is only growing in quantity as school districts move from what many of us remember from childhood — on site cafeteria cooking with reusable trays and real silverware — to food prepared off-site and packaged for reheating.
But even as I rail against the school district, I recognize that in my own house I’m not always living up to my principles. We’re a family that’s big on recycling due in no small part to my husband, the family’s designated Green Czar. We live in an area in which there’s no recycling pick-up but my amazing husband dutifully gathers up an entire station-wagon full of our recyclables every two weeks and sorts it all at a local recycling center. (Although, when he retrieves a two-inch scrap of paper from my office trash can and gives me a rather judgmental look, I think about this funny article in the New York Times on the marital stress that arises when one spouse is just a little TOO green.)
But when it comes to packing lunches for two kids every morning, the pressure of the clock often wins out over my ideals. I confess that I use plastic zippered bags and aluminum foil with abandon and even, up until recently, plastic silverware (horrors!) – any means necessary to get the lunch box zipped up and out the door before the first school bell.
Then my writer friend Jenny Johnson recently pointed me to the Planet Box, an eco-friendly stainless steel lunch box with little bento-box like compartments that eliminate the need to package each individual item in the lunch. Jenny swears that the Planet Box’s claims are true – as long as it’s not something really drippy, you can pack fruit next to a sandwich and the latter will not emerge soggy a few hours later. If you like, you can also apparently customize the outside of the box with replaceable magnetic designs, so that if your kid wants pictures of soccer balls in second grade but a cool modern design in seventh grade, the lunch box doesn’t have to be replaced.
The Planet Box isn’t cheap, but then I considered the fact that despite my best cleaning efforts, those soft-sided lunch boxes we buy at Target every year barely make it to June (and in fact I feel like donning a Hazmat suit when I finally dispose of them), so when you combine its longevity with the fact that you won’t need to buy baggies or foil, the Planet Box may well pay for itself.
Wow. The Lunch Tray’s first product recommendation. I’m feeling so “Oprah” right now.
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2011 Bettina Elias Siegel
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ahhh. But is it dishwasher safe? The other bento box thingie (not metal) (laptoplunches.com?) is not dishwasher safe. It’s also plastic.
am checking this out now. sounds great. even though I use dishwasher safe plastic sandwich containers, I still end up using way too many plastic bags. thanks!
We love our reusable, dishwasher safe snack/lunch bags. Check out http://www.lunchskins.com.
I, too, am appalled at the waste produced in our school cafeteria in Dripping Springs, Texas. There is a small group of parents who are trying to change the ways of food service at our school, but it seems to be an uphill battle. I suggested to our PTA that instead of having magazine and cookie dough fundraisers each fall, we might sell reusable lunch items (for those kids bringing lunches from home). Sadly, the money-making potential of these items pales in comparison to the magazines/cookie dough venture, so my idea never got off the ground.
My own kids have fabric sandwich wraps and snack bags, bring cloth napkins, and have other food items in washable, reusable containers. We even have reusable, dishwasher-safe stainless steel straws! Check out http://www.reusablebags.com and http://www.wastefreelunches.org for more ideas.
Yes, its totally dishwasher safe. Throw the whole thing in the dishwasher at the end of the day – it fits where a plate fits in the bottom rack.
here’s another site with a great eco bento style lunch box. My cousins in Oregon have it and have been happy. I’m going to either get this one or the one from planet box – would love to know which you think will work better!
Mara: Did you include the link? I can’t see it but maybe because I’m viewing your comments from the site’s admin page.
Our school is looking forward to offering these cute little non-baggies to parents next year! Great alternative to those dreaded plastic ziptops!
http://www.snacktaxi.com/
And because I am the recycler in my household, you will find that when there is take out or a doggie bag that comes home, those containers get reused as well. Even the dressing to-go containers.
I bought a laptop lunchbox for my daughter , and we also have a lock-n-lock bento-type box. There is a site called weelicious.com that does some tremendous recipes/luch ideas for the laptop lunchbox, which would work just as well for the Planet Box.
Jenn: Welcome to TLT and thank you for the tip. I’m going to check out the recipes as I’m always trying to find new things to pack for school lunches. – Bettina
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