Female: Have you ever stopped to consider how much garbage you throw away after you’ve eaten lunch? The single serving yogurt container, plastic spoon and cookie wrappers are all destined for the garbage can. Why not try packing a litterless lunch for you and the kids tomorrow? The City of Hamilton’s Flo Busnello, the recycling queen, is here to share her tips on preparing a litterless lunch that will fill your tummy while leaving the garbage can empty. This is Daily Web TV.
Tracy Bezeau: The other day, my son came home from school and asked me to prepare a litterless lunch. Well, if you’re like me, you’re a little unsure on how to do this. So to help me with this is Flo from Waste Management. Flo, what is a litterless lunch?
Flo Busnello: Tracy, a litterless lunch means packing your lunch from no single serving packaging. Having no garbage to throw is the end goal.
Tracy Bezeau: Can you give me some examples on how to prepare a litterless lunch? It sounds a little difficult but I’m seeing lots of stuff here that could help me out.
Flo Busnello: Sure. There are many things you can use to pack a litterless lunch like reusable containers for your sandwich or snacks. Drinking—reusable drinking boxes versus the traditional drinking box with the straw, so a thermos like this or a reusable water bottle. And for hot food, you can even bring hot food with you in a thermos like this to keep your food warm for you.
Tracy Bezeau: You talked about not having litter to throw away. What about getting the single servings or cookies and stuff, like already packaged stuff?
Flo Busnello: So yogurts are perfect examples for single serving packaging, all of the packaging for this yogurt for instance ends up in the garbage. If you buy the large container and then just reuse a reusable container and fill it, you don’t have any packaging and you’re packing a litterless lunch.
Tracy Bezeau: Now, when you talk about the single serving yogurts, can I recycle that? Or is litterless lunch really mean nothing that I’m throwing out?
Flo Busnello: Litterless means you have nothing to throw in the garbage when you’re done, so there’s just your usable container that you’re taking home with you. Everything is hopefully empty because you’ve eaten all your lunch.
Tracy Bezeau: What is the difference between a boomerang lunch and litterless lunch?
Flo Busnello: Yeah, some people get it mixed up and boomerang lunch means whatever you bring packed in your lunch is what you take home with you to dispose of. So you’re not necessarily disposing of the waste at school or at work, you’re just coming home with it and still getting rid of it. So you’re still producing litter, whereas the litterless you’re using reusable containers, no single serving packaging and you don’t have anything to throw at the end.
Tracy Bezeau: I see we have a plate and a fork here. Why would I be packing that in my lunch?
Flo Busnello: So the plate and fork is for when we’re working in the office, so we have potluck lunches. You can bring your own plate and utensils. This is another great way to reuse, as well as—remember to bring your travel mug when you’re getting your coffee in the morning or afternoon.
Tracy Bezeau: I’m noticing a trend, not only are we reusing containers but it’s almost like we’re saving money at the same time.
Flo Busnello: Yeah, so in buying in bulk, you’ll save versus the packaging, as well as if you take your mug, a lot of places give you a little discount off your coffee or tea.
Tracy Bezeau: This actually looks a lot more easier than I thought. I guess if I’m going to be doing it for my kid, it’s something that I can be doing for myself as well.
Flo Busnello: Yeah, sure. You can pack a litterless lunch for the office as well.
Tracy Bezeau: Where can somebody go to get more information?
Flo Busnello: They can visit our website at hamilton.ca/waste or give us a call at 905-546-CITY.
Tracy Bezeau: Well, thank you very much Flo. For more information on packing a litterless lunch, check out their website. I’m Tracy Bezeau and you’ve been watching Daily Web TV.
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