Eco-friendly Tips for Back-to-school

July 2024. The new school year is just around the corner, and back-to-school shopping and preparations will soon be underway. Between preparing daily school lunches and acquiring new school supplies, waste can easily accumulate. Go green this school year and aim to incorporate sustainable practices into your children’s lunches and school supplies.

Going Green with School Lunches

Disposable products in school lunches such as napkins, plastic bags, utensils, juice boxes, and individually bagged snacks can generate significant waste. Imagine if one student uses 3 plastic bags per day for their lunch. For a 180-day school year, that’s 540 plastic bags used per student! Now, multiply the 540 plastic bags by the 21,000 students within the Conejo Valley Unified School District (assuming half of them pack a lunch and use plastic baggies). This would produce 5.7 million plastic bags per year that could take hundreds of years to decompose in a landfill.

There are better options available. For lunches, think “Reuse” and “Long term.” Whenever possible, choose products that can be reused instead of disposed after a single use. For instance, instead of packing lunch in brown paper bags that don't insulate and tear easily, use a lunch box, thermos, or other reusable container. Instead of packing snacks and sandwiches in plastic bags, try reusable, washable pouches and containers to package bulk food into lunch portions. There are a variety of reusable pouches, food wraps made from beeswax, and glass containers available on the market today that make excellent alternatives to single-use disposable items. Click this link for more tips on reducing waste at home.  

Green School Supplies

Before buying new supplies, see what items from the previous year can be reused. Things like backpacks, lunchboxes, binders, and scissors can often be reused for another school year with proper care. When new materials are necessary, look for school supplies made from recycled or sustainable materials. Items like notebooks, pencils, backpacks, and paper made from recycled content or sustainably sourced materials are becoming more widely available. Be conscious of the packaging of the products you buy. Choose products with minimal or recyclable packaging to reduce the amount of waste generated.

Additionally, many school supplies are designed as single use, contributing to large amounts of waste from our schools. CalRecycle provides several tips on ways to reduce waste at school, which include

• Purchasing refillable pens and pencils
• Purchasing products made of recycled materials
• Reusing folders and envelopes
• Recycling paper
• Making notepads out of scratch paper and using them in place of “Post-it” notes

Plastic school supplies can also be harmful to our health. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC, or vinyl), and bisphenol A (BPA) have been linked to asthma, reproductive problems, and other health issues, and are often found in backpacks, lunch bags, and binders. Look for BPA-free, PVC-free, and phthalate-free products when possible. 

Buy Food Locally and In Bulk

Buying fresh local food is better for our planet by reducing waste while supporting local businesses and farmers who provide healthy options! Click this link to find local farmers and small businesses near you!

Share your eco-friendly ideas or activities taking place on your campus with us by e-mail at: gogreen@toaks.org. We’d like to showcase your success and share your story.