In consultation with our Parent Advisory Council, we would like to inform you of a new initiative that we are taking on to try and help the environment, and to hopefully generate a more targeted understanding of our school’s ecological footprint. Starting Wednesday, October 1st, we will be introducing a litter-less lunch program to reduce the amount of waste we produce at our school. This means that we are encouraging all students to bring their snacks and lunches in reusable containers. As some items will inevitably be in small packages or go unfinished, students will be taking their packaging and remaining food items home with them. On Hot Lunch days – or when snacks are received from the Office (via the emergency snacks and lunch program) – all received packaging and remaining food items will also be sent home for appropriate recycling. Students will be packing out whatever waste they generate through food consumption at the school.
Why Litter-less Lunches?
Litter-less lunches at schools have consistently proven to be the best form of recycling and waste reduction. On average, a school-age child with a disposable lunch generates approximately 30 kilograms of waste per school year. That means that if your child is in a class of 25 students, they are producing 750 kilograms of waste each year. At Cascade Heights, it collectively works out to almost 14,100 kilograms of annual waste!
Litter-less Lunch Tips and Menu
Litter-less lunches decrease the amount of garbage in the school and are one way our school community can help us to make a positive impact on our environment. A litter-less lunch can also be cheaper to take than a disposable lunch as it uses foods that are not pre-packaged. Here are some tips for packing a litter-less lunch:
- use reusable lunch bags and resealable storage bags
- pack sandwiches in reusable containers
- divide larger snacks into single serving reusable containers
- buy larger size beverages and pour into reusable drink containers
- remember to put in a reusable spoon or fork
We kindly request that you discuss this initiative with your child over the weekend and show them how to (re)seal their food items and waste securely into their lunch bags to avoid leaks in backpacks. This will be particularly important for our younger students who may initially need support returning home with leaky containers and messy food scraps (yogurt drinks, banana peels, etc.).
We thank you in advance for your efforts in helping lessen the waste we produce at Cascade Heights!
