Sustainability

SUSTAINABILITY AT LYNDHURST PRIMARY SCHOOL

In 2021 Lyndhurst Primary school is committing to reduce our waste to landfill, so we are encouraging all students to bring waste free/nude food for snack and lunch to school each day.

Nude food contains no throwaway packaging and produces no waste food. A waste free lunch is packed in a reusable lunchbox or bag. Food is put in reusable containers rather than in wrapped disposable packaging. Drinks are put in reusable drinks bottles. 

Reducing packaging has important environmental benefits. Each year in Victoria, families of primary school aged children spend more than $3.5 million on individually packaged items, collectively throwing away over 1.5 million yogurts, 3 million small tubs and 11 million ziplock bags. Landfill disposal is also usually a significant cost for a school, and by reducing waste, more money can be invested on learning resources. Unpackaged food also encourages better food and drink choices.

By helping your child pack a waste free lunch you will help in several ways. Here are a few ideas

• Discuss with your child what they like to eat and how much. Bin audits in schools across Victoria show large quantities of unopened packaged foods single-serve yogurts, cheese sticks, sandwiches, uneaten fruit and fruit boxes are being thrown away. This costs your family money as well as creating unnecessary waste. 
• Cut up fruit and vegetables and pack them in reusable containers so that children can eat some and save the rest for later. (It’s easier to eat a wedge or two of an apple and then reseal the container than to take a few bites out of a whole apple and save the rest). A rubber band around a sliced apple will prevent browning. 
• Encourage your children to bring home uneaten food to eat later. Appreciate that play time is also important, so discuss with children how much they can reasonably eat in one day. Often children throw uneaten food away because they don’t want to upset the person who packed the lunch. If you’re not sure how much they can eat at school, start small, e.g. a piece of fruit and a sandwich, and build it up if they are asking for more. 
• Bento style lunch boxes are a great way of packing a variety of foods together making lunches interesting for your child.
• If your children have chips, savoury biscuits, or other snacks, try buying a larger bulk pack and have your children put the same quantity into a reusable labelled container that they bring home each day. It is also cheaper! 
• Rather than packing a carton of juice for your child, encourage, your child to just drink water. By not putting a juice box in your child’s lunchbox for school you will save $80 a year!

Thank you for supporting your child’s participation in helping reduce waste and the Lyndhurst Primary school sustainability program, Let’s get the message out there!

Yours Sincerely,

Lisa Howells & The Sustainability Team