With a new school term starting up next week, GLAD has joined with global recycling and upcycling pioneer TerraCycle to show teachers, parents and kids how they can achieve a zero-waste lunchbox. A typical school lunchbox is traditionally packed with food and other items that kids might choose to throw away, such as uneaten sandwiches, unwanted fruit and vegetables, and used plastic food storage products. New Zealanders throw away over 122,000 tonnes of food per year, with bread, fruit and vegetables the foods that are thrown out most. But it’s possible to teach kids and parents that a litter-less lunch is entirely feasible if they take a few easy tips on board. Parents can minimise food wastage by cutting up fruit and vegetables so children won’t be tempted to throw them away after a bite or two. If the kids come home with an uneaten sandwich, the bread can be given a new life by being made into croutons, or even ground into breadcrumbs to be used as plant fertiliser or birdfeed. Parents can also get kids excited about what they’re eating by involving them in the making of their own lunch. Trying new lunchbox recipes that are fun and easy for kids to make is also a great way of getting the kids involved in cooking. Keeping food stored in individual GLAD food wrap or containers will also ensure food stays fresher for longer. While used plastic food storage products might have been thrown away in the past, it’s now possible to recycle them through the GLAD Food Storage Brigade. The innovative programme provides nationwide access so all New Zealand schools can recycle and divert these products from landfill using an easy ‘collect, store and ship’ method. Participants are encouraged to simply start collecting their GLAD food storage products in any used cardboard box or re-usable bin, claim their free shipping label from the TerraCycle website, then ship their used items locally via New Zealand Post. Those GLAD products will be pelletised and then recycled into sustainable items such as park benches. If parents are on the hunt for extra ways to teach their children about waste and to further minimise the amount of waste that gets sent to landfill, TerraCycle and GLAD have put together some fun DIY projects, such as a mini tote or a tic-tac-toe set made out of used GLAD products. “GLAD is focused on reducing waste and wants to show kids, teachers and parents that it is possible to enjoy a litter-less lunch by just being a little more conscious,” said Rachel Faulkner, GLAD New Zealand. “By preparing and storing food correctly and then recycling your GLAD food storage products, you can easily reduce your footprint on the environment at lunchtime.” Anyone collecting for the GLAD Food Storage Brigade can also earn $1.58 per 2kg of GLAD food storage products sent in to TerraCycle, which can then be redeemed to go towards the school or charity of their choice. TerraCycle is the world leader in developing solutions for recycling ‘un-recyclable’ items and has kept more than four billion pieces of waste from landfills around the world. TerraCycle New Zealand is also tackling other difficult to recycle waste streams with popular programmes for oral care waste, coffee capsules and yoghurt pouches. Visit www.terracycle.co.nz to download a GLAD ‘My litter-less lunch kit’ and sign up to the recycling programme.