Schools

On July 3^rd Challenge your school to a Zero Waste Lunch!

Lunch time may just be the best part of the day, whether this is because it gives you a welcome break from school work, a time to meet friends or just a time of the day to eat some delicious food, we all seem to love lunch time!

You might already have noticed the amount of plastic waste that school lunches can create. sandwiches wrapped in cling film, snack wrappers, yogurt pots, straws, plastic cutlery, plastic water bottles…..we use them for a short time before they pile up in the bin.

The Challenge: Have a Zero Waste Lunch on July 3rd!

To join us in our first ever Plastic Free Day all you have to do is hold a Zero Waste Lunch on July 3rd 2018. It doesn’t matter if your Zero Waste Lunch is packed, bought or cooked, we want to see your efforts.

Every school that takes part will receive a certificate and a mention on our Plastic Free Wall of Fame!

What is a Zero Waste Lunch?

A Zero Waste Lunch is one that uses as little sing-use plastic as possible. To go zero waste, everyone will need to think about what they bring or provide for lunch, and how it’s wrapped.

Here are some examples of steps you could take to go zero waste:

Packed Lunches –

Encourage children to use a reusable lunchbox and water bottle.
Encourage children to wrap sandwiches and snacks in kitchen roll, clean cloth or an eco-friendly alternative like beeswax food wraps instead of cling film.
Encourage children to bring their own reusable cutlery.
Encourage children to make their own snacks and bring them in a reusable pot.
Encourage parents to buy in bulk, for example buying large tubs of yogurt and pouring into a reusable pot.
Encourage the use of recycling for any recyclable waste.

School canteens & hot lunches –

Choose to serve unpackaged products.
Have reusable cups, plates and cutlery for children to use.
Do not offer plastic straws (paper straws are ok if needed).
Have water filling stations so children can fill beakers and bottles for free.
Ask suppliers for less packaging, or recyclable packaging.

How do we do it?

Download the schools pack and supporting materials, which contain all the resources you need:

Send the letter and tips to parents
Put up the posters around school
Talk to your kitchen or canteen about how they can help
To turn your Zero Waste Lunch into a learning activity or Eco-Schools project, measure your lunch waste on a normal day and at you Zero Waste Lunch. Use the recording sheet to compare the difference

Schools Pack

(Includes welcome letter, how to guide, suggested letter and sms)

Activity Poster

Recording Sheet 2018

Achievement Form 2018

We have also provided you with two downloadable posters to help you get the message out there.

Plastic Free Day Poster 1

Plastic Free Day Poster 2

You can also share your achievements with us via our social media channels by tagging us (see below) and by using the following hashtags – #plasticfreeday #zerowastelunch #litterfreecoastandsea

Send in your Achievement Form and we’ll send you your certificate and mention you on our Plastic Free Wall of Fame.

Facebook: @LitterFreeCoastandSea

Twitter/Instagram: @litterfreecoast

What counts as single-use plastic?

Good question.

Count any plastic that won’t be used again, whether or not it could be recycled. This will include shrink wrap, cling film, biscuit wrappers, crisp packets, straws, yogurt pots or disposable cutlery.

Don’t count plastic tubs, pots, bottles, bags or cutlery that will be washed and reused.