Sustainable Back to School:
How to Skip the Plastic This Year
Back to school fills shopping carts with single-use plastic. Here is how to send your kids off with everything they need and none of the waste.
Every August, parents fill their carts with supplies. Plastic lunch bags, disposable water bottles, plastic 3-ring binders and containers that crack within weeks. Most of it is used once or just a few months and then tossed. And most of it will outlast us all.
The good news? It does not have to be this way. A few intentional swaps can equip your kids for the entire school year while keeping single-use plastic out of your home, your kid's lunchbox, and eventually, the ocean.
These are practical, parent-tested tips. No perfection required. Just progress.
Rethink the Lunchbox
The daily packed lunch is ground zero for single-use plastic in most families. Sandwich bags, plastic wrap, disposable utensils, and plastic pouches add up fast. One school year of daily lunches can produce 67+ pounds of packaging waste per child.
The fix is simpler than you think.
One reusable wax wrap replaces hundreds of plastic bags over its lifetime. That is hundreds of bags that never reach the landfill or the ocean.
Instead of reaching for the box of plastic bags every morning, use plant-based wax wraps. They mold to sandwiches, wrap fruit, cover bowls, and fold into snack pouches. Just warm them with your hands and they seal around whatever you are wrapping. When they get dirty, wash with cool water and mild soap. They last up to a year, and when they are done, you can compost them.
Our wax wraps are made from GOTS organic cotton, carnauba wax, jojoba oil, and tree resin. They are vegan (no beeswax), naturally antimicrobial, and the packaging is fully recyclable and plastic-free. Available as a 3-pack with three sizes (small, medium, and large) or as a roll you can cut to fit anything.
Plant-Based Wax Food Wraps
Available as a 3-pack (small, medium, large) or an XXL roll you cut to size. Vegan. Compostable. Made with GOTS organic cotton and carnauba wax.
Shop Wax WrapsPair your wraps with stainless steel or glass containers for leftovers, metal utensils, and a cloth napkin. The upfront cost is higher than a box of plastic bags. The difference is these items last for years, not minutes, and requires a conversation with your kiddo about the importance of using reusables.
Ditch the Disposable Water Bottle
Most schools require kids to bring a water bottle. For many families, that means a case of disposable plastic bottles consumed and tossed every week.
A single reusable water bottle changes that math entirely.
A quality stainless steel water bottle can carry your child from elementary school through college. One bottle. Thousands of refills. Zero plastic.
Our stainless steel water bottle is double-walled, BPA-free, and built to last a lifetime. It holds 25 oz (750 ml), fits standard cup holders, and keeps drinks cold or hot depending on what your kid needs. The bamboo and stainless steel lid has a loop carrier for clipping to a backpack. No plastic lid. No fragile parts that crack after a few drops.
Kids use a disposable plastic bottle for about 20 minutes before it becomes trash. That bottle will sit in a landfill for 450+ years. A reusable bottle flips that equation completely.
Stainless Steel Water Bottle with Bamboo Lid
25 oz, double-walled, food-grade 304 stainless steel. Bamboo lid with loop carrier. Designed to last a lifetime.
Shop Water BottlesMore Plastic-Free Swaps for the School Year
The lunchbox and water bottle are the biggest wins, but there are more opportunities to cut plastic across the school routine.
Plastic sandwich bags
🌿 Plant-based wax wraps
Disposable plastic bottles
🌿 Stainless steel water bottle
Plastic-wrapped stationery
🌿 Wooden pencils and paper-wrapped crayons
Plastic rulers and pencil cases
🌿 Wood, bamboo, or fabric alternatives
Plastic-tube toothpaste
🌿 Toothpaste tablets
Disposable plastic utensils
🌿 Bamboo or stainless steel utensil set
Buy Secondhand, Swap, and Reuse
Not every back to school item needs to be new. Backpacks, lunchboxes, sports gear, and clothing are easy to find at thrift stores, local buy-and-sell groups, and through hand-me-down networks.
This does three things at once: it keeps existing items out of the landfill, it saves your family money, and it teaches kids that new is not always necessary. Organize a swap with friends whose kids are different ages. This year's outgrown backpack becomes next year's perfect fit.
Reuse and repair before buying new. Extending the life of one backpack by just nine months reduces its environmental footprint by 20 to 30 percent.
Start the Conversation at School
Some schools still default to plastic. Disposable water bottles at events, plastic-wrapped fundraiser items, and single-use cutlery in the cafeteria. If your school has not made the switch, you can help start the conversation.
Ask if reusable water bottles are allowed in classrooms. Suggest a waste-free lunch day. Share what is working for your family. Schools are increasingly aware of their environmental impact, and sometimes all it takes is one parent or one student voicing a better way.
Start Where You Are
You do not need to overhaul everything at once. Pick one or two swaps that make sense for your family right now.
Switch the lunchbox setup first
Replace plastic bags and cling wrap with wax wraps and reusable containers. This one swap eliminates hundreds of pieces of plastic every school year.
Invest in a water bottle that lasts
One stainless steel bottle can outlast every plastic bottle your child would use between now and graduation.
Rethink before you buy
Before adding something to the cart, ask: does this need to be plastic? Is there a secondhand option? Will this last the full school year?
These changes compound. One family's plastic-free lunch is hundreds of bags not ending up in the ocean. One reusable water bottle is hundreds of disposable bottles never produced.
Every product we sell is vegan, Leaping Bunny certified, and packaged without plastic. Our packaging is always compostable or recyclable. We partner with rePurpose Global and 5 Gyres to remove ocean-bound plastic and fight plastic pollution at the source. When you choose our products, you are choosing a company that is actively working toward a plastic-free future.
Start Your Plastic-Free
Back to School
From wax wraps that replace hundreds of plastic bags to a water bottle built to last a lifetime. Everything is vegan, cruelty-free, and packaged plastic-free.
Shop Sustainable Essentials