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Zero-Waste Lunch is the Goal in Wyoming

When students bring their lunch to school, they also bring their trash. It’s estimated that, on average, a school-age child using disposable lunch creates 67 pounds of waste per school year.

To help raise awareness of school lunch trash, Wyoming Schools have marked October 27 as the first Zero-Waste Lunch Challenge day of the school year.

Students in the district’s primary, middle and high schools will be encouraged to pack lunch items and drinks in reusable containers. Cloth napkins and reusable utensils brought from home will also help reduce the amount of waste that ends up in the school dumpsters—and eventually a landfill.

 “Waste-free lunches are not only a wise environmental choice,” says Heidi Spicer of the schools’ Go Green Team, “they are less expensive as well.” Pre-packaged convenience foods often cost more than food purchased in larger quantities, and have more disposable packaging.

More information on how to pack a waste-free lunch for school, or the office, can be found at www.wastefreelunch.com.