Let's say you're heading out the door with the kids and you remember you should probably bring a snack (or risk having them beg you to get something out of a vending machine somewhere). What do you grab? Individually wrapped granola bars, a plastic baggie filled with goldfish? Maybe it's time to rethink your snack-packing habits and try to be a little more eco-friendly about it all.
For me, it took some time to break the plastic bag habit - because it was just that - a habit. But once I started packing snacks in small reusable containers it quickly became second nature. And while I do still buy individually wrapped things every once in awhile, my snack-induced-waste-production has gone way down.
When I found this divided snack box by Lock & Lock at Target the other day, I thought it would be perfect for Drew's lunch and for other times when a variety of snacks are in order. (Even though I've written about the fun trend of bento-box lunches, I have not yet gone down that path myself. Drew's lunches are really like snacks - a little of this and a little of that.)
It's got 4 removable trays inside and the top locks down nice and tight. It won't work for something wet like applesauce because the sections are not completely sealed off, but it works great for dry snacks! Yes, it's plastic - I know some people don't like that - but first of all it's #5 polypropylene plastic which I've heard is one of the safest food-grade plastics (chemical leaching is not a problem). Also, I've got to believe that one piece of reuseable plastic is better than years worth of disposables. If you're interested in buying one and can't find it at Target, Amazon's got them for $6.99.
The Snack Sack is another genius waste-free snack product - and if you're plastic-averse you'll like it even more. (I just read about it on Nature Moms - thanks for the tip Tiffany!) It's a handmade cloth sack with a drawstring closure and you can buy it with or without a stainless steel bowl.
Put snacks directly inside (it's machine washable!) or in the stainless steel bowl. It comes with a carabiner so you can clip it on to your diaper bag or purse strap. A set of 2 snack sacks and 1 stainless steel bowl costs $13 or buy just the bag alone for $6.50. Like I said - Genius!!
That Snack Sack looks great! I'm really trying to cut down on food packaging
Posted by: Crafty Green Poet | October 24, 2007 at 07:35 AM