Mama Bite : KidStyle : Reusable Snack Bags
Reusable Snack Bags

Want a smarter way to pack your kids' cookies and carrot sticks?

05.27.2009

Submitted by alara on Tue, 05/26/2009 - 11:00pm.
The Bite:
Close the book on plastic baggies and think reusable snack bags instead. You'll reduce disposable waste, prevent pretzels from spilling out in the car (er, again), and give older kiddos a stylish alt for their lunch sacks. It's elementary.
The Benefits: 
  • Putting a (stu)dent in waste. Each year, a child generates about 67 pounds of lunch-related school trash, which includes mountains of unrecyclable plastic baggies.
  • Wising up to chems. Eco reusable snack bags are free of lead and phthalates (found in some vinyl bags and plastic containers), plus organic cotton versions keep pesticides off Mama Earth.
  • Saving cash for college. One reusable snack bag costs about as much as a box of disposable baggies, but you only need one - instead of buying, and buying, and buying...
  • Earning high marks for easy cleaning. All picks go in the dishwasher or washing machine, so they're good for even a gooey PB&J.
Wanna Try: 
  • SnackTaxi Snack Sacks - reusable cotton pouch; waterproof nylon lining; fun prints like frogs (see photo) and rockets; sandwich size ($7).
  • 3greenmoms Lunch Skins - thick cotton with moistureproof coating and Velcro-type closure for tight seal; shark, lizard, apple, and banana prints; sandwich size ($12/2).
  • Plum Creek Mercantile Snack Bags - organic cotton bags with secure Velcro-type closure; good for nondrippy snacks (think pretzels); also in 100% cotton; in solids, stripes, and prints; sizes S-L ($5).
  • Acme Bags Snack Bags - organic cotton with drawstring closure; works best with dry snacks; snack and sandwich sizes; in natural color ($3).

Timeout

Jack Whitehurst, 7, of Durham, NC, says he likes his red and white Lunch Skin by 3greenmoms because it means less trash - but it also makes an excellent hand puppet, as he demos here.

Bang For The Bite

If 10,000 Mama Biters opt for a reusable snack bag instead of a box of disposables, we'll keep the weight of 19 giant pandas in plastic outta landfills.

3 comments
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Tips Like This

 
Meredith  on May 27, 2009 at 04:38 AM 1
I am a huge fan of Laptop Lunches! It's a BPA-free plastic lunchbox, with 4 seperate compartments for your carb (sandwich), fruit, veggie, and "treat." Perfect portion control, the lids are easy to get on and off for little fingers, great colors, and they even come with stainless steel silverware (also reuseable). They do school fundraisers too, if you want to get your whole elementary school on a reusable lunchbox kick! http://www.laptoplunches.com/
Raven  on May 27, 2009 at 05:56 AM 2
When you have tips like these, I'd love to see more DIY suggestions for making your own. For example: http://sewing.about.com/od/freeprojects/ss/lunchsack.htm
Harrison  on November 12, 2009 at 05:24 AM 3
Putting a (stu)dent in waste. Each year, a child generates about 67 pounds of lunch-related school trash, which includes mountains of unrecyclable plastic baggies. online games

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