I love packing my children's lunches because it makes me feel better knowing they are getting the necessary nutrients needed in a well balanced lunch, but I didn't like the fact that I would be using plastic bags that would be ending up in the trash can at the end of the lunch period. So right before school began, I was on a mission to research lunch boxes that would elimate waste. I fell in love with bento-style boxes, because it provided sections that I could place different food in. This is an important feature if you have a child that does not like when food is touching.
Once I decided to go with this style, I began searching the different styles of lunch systems many websites sell. Most were made from plastic, while others were stainless steel. I was salivating over the stainless steel ones, until I spotted the price.......$60 for the entire system, which included the bento box and the lunch bag! Multiply that price by 2 (or more if you have a larger family), and you are taking out a small loan just to pay for them. Other lunch system I found were slighty cheaper in price, but still over my budget.
I could not justify spending over $100 on lunch boxes, so my children can eat lunch with no waste, and I could feel better knowing I am not contributing to more trash in our landfills. So with this style of lunch box in mind, I began my search for a more economical type bento box. Lo and behold, I found it! Ziploc makes a divided plastic container that fits in a standard rectangular lunch box. For about $3, I was able to buy 1 package that included two containers. And the best thing is, these containers do not contain BPA (Bisphenol A) which can imitate estrogen in the body and possibly cause adverse health effects. I purchased stainless steel water bottles for about $3 each, and the lunch bag for $7. Add a cloth napkin and silverware from your kitchen drawer, and you have your own zero-waste lunch system for the low price of about $13. This is a price that I can handle!
