Lunch can be hard. Sometimes it's difficult to come up with new lunch ideas, or break away for a meal during a busy work day, which only makes it all the more tempting to choose something fast wrapped in plastic or designed for single use. But packing a sustainable lunch for the office or your kiddos at school doesn’t have to be a challenge. At Marley’s Monsters, we have designed products specifically for making lunch time more sustainable with great reusables for any member of the family. Here are six ways you can make your midday meal time more sustainable.
1. Try a Utensil Wrap
Store and keep track of your reusable utensils when you invest in a Utensil Wrap. They’re perfect for storing things like bamboo utensils, chopsticks, napkins, or even toothbrushes or colored pencils. This versatile product has three pockets for all your goodies. Front pockets include enough space for several items or utensils. The middle pocket includes one 10-inch wide pouch perfect for cloth wipes or UNpaper® towels. The large inside pocket includes a built-in wet bag! Lined with a waterproof and food safe PUL, you can slide all the dirty things right in and easily wipe clean after use.
2. Reach for a Snack Bag
Kick single use plastic bags to the curb and reach for a colorful Snack Bag instead. Each Snack Bag is made from a cotton outer layer, backed with a stabilizer for added durability and support. The interior lining is a waterproof PUL, BPA-free lining that is perfect for keeping snacks fresh. These snack bags are perfect for road trips, lunch boxes, playdates, or an afternoon snack. They are also machine washable, simply wash with your next load of laundry. Find them in a variety of materials and in fun prints and colors that even kids will love.
3. Score a Sandwich Wrap
Single use plastic bags are probably the most common item you could find in a lunch box, but they also inevitably end up at landfills. Try a Sandwich Wrap instead. These Sandwich Wraps are constructed with a 100% cotton outer layer and a waterproof, food grade, waterproof PUL lining for easy clean up. They feature cotton twill cords for wrapping and securing your food, and are machine washable. Use these for sandwiches, bagels, burritos, pizza or wrap the bottom of a bouquet for a quick gift! Find them in a variety of materials and colors.
4. Ditch Plastic Straws
Single use plastic straws are so commonplace now that we hardly notice them or how many we use. Plastic pollution is a major problem, especially for marine wildlife as plastic tends to end up in oceans and waterways. Instead, choose to bring your own Reusable Straw, and sip your favorite beverage the eco friendly way. Keep track of your reusable straws with a Straw Pouch. Each pouch comes with a removable interior wet bag to keep your dirty straws separate from the clean ones. The wet bag snaps in and out, making it easy to remove and wash.
5. UNpaper® Towels
Paper towels are another mealtime staple, but traditional paper towels contribute to carbon emissions and deforestation. Instead, try an UNpaper® Towel, the perfect sustainable alternative to regular paper towels. Our UNpaper® Towels are incredibly absorbent and soft on hands and faces. They’re washable and reusable, just add to your next load of laundry. Handmade in Eugene, Oregon, each UNpaper® Towel is 12 inches by 10 inches and made with single-ply 100% cotton flannel. The edges are serged for durability and to prevent fraying. UNpaper® Towels naturally cling together and will roll up on a Kraft tube like regular paper towels, or our handmade wooden UNpaper® Towel Holder. They are so easy to toss in a lunch box, for mealtime clean up.
6. Stainless Steel Lunchbox
You can’t really pack a lunch without a lunchbox, and one sustainable option is a Stainless Steel Lunchbox: Three-in-One, a three-piece nesting bento box set. This nifty lunch container makes it easy to pack a variety of foods and keep them all separate - and safe from squishing! The Three-in-One Lunch Box is perfect for packing a healthy entree and two side dishes. The Three-in-One is a 100% high-quality, food-grade stainless steel container. Because it does not contain plastic, the lunchbox is free of all estrogen-mimicking chemicals, such as bisphenol-A (BPA), phthalates, and bisphenol-S (BPS). Also, keep your lunch chilled with a Stainless Steel Ice Pack. It thoroughly freezes in 2 hours and can keep lunch cool for 4-6 hours. The small size is ideal for smaller containers and lunch bags. Stick it in your picnic basket, your child's lunchbox or use it to soothe achy muscles.
Lunchtime is a great way to refuel and care for your body, but it’s not without its challenges. But through education and awareness, you can overcome difficulties with sustainable solutions. With these things in mind, you’re ready to pack your whole family a sustainable lunch every day of the week. How else do you incorporate sustainability into your mealtime routine? Let us know, we’d love to hear from you!
