Hands up who struggles to pack their kid’s lunchbox? It’s a daily grind. We hear you. There’s the multilayered dilemma of packing healthy food versus interesting food versus enough or too much, not to mention making sure it all stays cold or hot, and that it all gets eaten by the end of day.

 What’s even harder is ensuring we’re not sending mountains of plastic and alfoil to landfill every week. Gone are the days of the ‘70s and ‘80s, when our devon sandwiches went to school in brown paper bags. Plastic zip-lock bags and pre-packaged snacks have taken over the lunchbox world, with unrecyclable rubbish piling up either in school bins or in our garbage stacks at home, ultimately heading out to landfill where it takes years to degrade.

Thankfully, The Well Store is here to guide you through packaging options that are kind to the environment, your children’s growing bodies and your wallet. What we love about all the products below is that they’re reusable and will survive a good year (or two?) of the rough and tumble of our children’s lives.

So let’s start with the main game. The lunch box. Until recently most options have been limited to plastic, plastic and more plastic. But hallelujah! Stainless steel options have landed and they not only preserve food more effectively, they’re also more durable and dishwasher safe.

Introducing the Bento Box by Ever Eco – it comes in three distinct designs, with one, two and three compartments. Cheeki’s Lunch Boxes are also made with food grade stainless steel and are totally BPA free. Every lunch box lid is fitted with a leak-proof, airtight silicone seal and secure flip-up clips that little kids’ fingers can manage. They come in three sizes – 500ml, 1L and 1.6L. Both of these sturdy, long-lasting stainless steel boxes are the perfect eco-friendly alternative to plastic containers, and they also make great holders for meals on-the-go and for storing leftovers.

When it comes to packaging up the goodies that go inside these lovely lunch boxes, there are many great alternatives to the single-use zip-lock bag. Let’s take Agreena 3-in-1 Wraps. Made from 100% food-grade silicone, with no fillers, these wraps stretch to your desired shape. Given silicone is a stable naturally occurring compound, sourced from sand and rock, it will not affect the flavour of foods that it covers or release odours that may impact food quality. What’s the 3-in-1 all about? Agreena Wraps can be used for baking (they’re heat resistant up to 220°C) re-heating in the microwave and storage in the freezer.

If cotton is more your thing, try Bee Green Wraps produced by a dynamic Australian eco-friendly company. Made from 100% cotton and infused with a blend of Australian beeswax, tree resin and certified organic jojoba oil for durability and antibacterial protection, these wraps keep food fresher for longer. Simply fold the wraps around the food you wish to cover (let’s say a Vegemite and cheese roll) as you would with plastic wrap, and the warmth of your hands will mould the wrap around the food and create a seal. After each use, wash the wraps in cold water with mild detergent. Oh, and did we mention they come in glorious designs and colour combos? Good enough to use as mini-scarves!

Fancy sending yogurt to school with your kiddies? Package your own parcels at home from bigger buckets of creamy yogurt with these Little Mashies Pouches. These ingenious pouches can be filled with the food product of your choice from the zip-lock base. Throw into the dishwasher at night and they’re good to go again tomorrow.

No lunch is complete without the obligatory drink, right? Team your eco-efforts in the lunch box arena with non-plastic green-friendly drink bottles. We love the dusty pink Cheeki Insulated Drink Bottle that’s made from premium food-grade stainless steel with no lining or toxic inks. Its 600ml size will keep a thirsty child hydrated all day long, with a double-walled design to keep drinks cold for 36 hours or warm drinks toasty for up to 24 hours. Did we mention the soft-close quick-twist lid is leak-proof? Sure is.

Do your kids, yourself and your planet a favour by switching to these environmentally friendly waste-free lunch solutions. You’ll never go back once you catch the waste-free train! You’ll be wrapping up food for your soul.

 Be well xx

Mariana