Back to school with a Lil Style
Did you know that parents now spend just under an average of £250 per child kitting them out ready to go back to school?
Everyone wants their child to look nice when they go back to school and have everything they need and there’s nothing wrong with that. But ask yourself, “does everything have to be bought new”? There are lots of ways you can help to reduce unnecessary waste. Here are some of my Zero Waste Back to School tips.
School Uniforms
The biggest expense associated with going back to school is likely to be school uniforms but all that stain resistant clothing has a major impact on the earth and costs a significant amount in terms of carbon footprints to make, ship, sell and dispose of.
It is estimated that 350,000 tonnes of textiles goes to landfill in the UK every year at a staggering value of £140 million. - Valuing Our Clothes, WRAP
Remember that if you go after new, budget clothing someone else (the people who made the garment most likely) are paying the price instead. There are ways that you can reduce the cost and also help reduce waste though.
Because children tend to grow so quickly during their school years most things may need to be bought every year and this means they’re likely to still have a lot of wear left in them so don’t throw them away, pass them on.
If you are looking for the next size up school uniform items then why not consider buying good quality second hand items? Check:
School swap shop
Local Facebook Groups
Charity Shops
Specialist online shops such as Uniform or Old School Uniform
Pre-Loved and Gumtree
If you still want to buy new school uniform items then try and make sure they are made of natural fabrics - stain resistant in particular tends to equal microplastic - and from an ethical supplier. Eco Outfitters sell pure organic cotton school uniforms which are certified by GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standards). This guarantees the whole supply chain from field to final product meets their rigorous environmental and social criteria.
In East Lothian there are a couple of groups for second hand school uniform:
Check out the East Lothian School Uniform Bank or Tel: 01875 613133
The new Facebook group East Lothian School Uniform – Buy/Sell/Swap
There are bound to be similar groups near you so get on Ecosia and search them out (whilst planting a tree).
Lunchboxes
If they are taking a packed lunch, then they will need a lunchbox. And in this year’s return to school with Covid19 restrictions in place on school canteen provision they are going to need packed lunches more than ever.
Remember you can use what you already have. So, if you have lots of Tupperware containers that are suitable then use them for cold food. Our zero waste ethos is to reduce what goes to landfill and Reuse is high on the list
If you do need to buy a new lunchbox then consider investing in a stainless steel one that will last throughout their school years. I love the food grade stainless steel lunch boxes from Green Pioneer.
And, rather than wrapping your children’s sandwiches or snacks in cling film or placing them in a single use plastic sandwich bag why not use a compostable sandwich bag (I reuse these several times before they go in the compost at home – a box of 48 will last a year!). Stasher sandwich and snack bags will last a lifetime and there’s beeswax wraps or a fabric reusable snack bag with cute designs and space to write their name so they come back!
Lunches & Snacks
Set yourselves and your kids a challenge to pack a waste free meal for school (and work) lunches. Choose foods that come loose and can be packed in a reusable food wrap or container.
A lot of fruit comes in its own wrapper,
dried fruit – mango, raisins, apricots, dates and so on - are sweet and nutritious and can be bought loose and portioned up,.
Choc raisins make a nice sweet treat and bought loose you can provide as many as you are happy for them to have rather than a whole bag.
homemade oat bars are a long lasting energy treat for busy minds and bodies
hummus is so easy to make, takes minutes and with dippy carrots (or preferred veg) or in a wrap makes a great healthy lunch.
Check out a few more ideas in our Low Impact Lunchbox blog
Water Bottles
A good quality water bottle is a must for kids. This term my kids have been asked to take 2 water bottles as the school water fountains are not in use (again due to Covid19, Meh!) Again, don’t rush out and buy a new one just because it’s the start of the new school year, use what you have. I avoid refillable plastic ones due to potential harmful substances leaching into the water. However, when it is time to replace their water bottle you may want to invest in a hard wearing stainless steel one or a wheat bottle, supplied by local social entrepreneurs S’Wheat. Jerry Bottles make double wall, insulated 500ml bottles in awesome bright colours (or black for the cool kids) and will last a lifetime. Jerry Bottle are also a socially mined company, giving 50% of profits to water provision projects
Their poor hands!!
Hand sanitisers are a must for the return to school and along with that and all the extra hand washing a good hand cream is going to be essential too. I remember at the end of last term how dry and sore the kids’ hands were. We have a limited stock of Haouma organic hand sanitiser and an eco refill sanitiser option for you so you can decant in to your existing containers. For moisturising I would recommend a solid lotion bar or balm – avoids dispensing too much and wasting it, won’t make a mess in a bumped-about school bag, avoids yet another plastic bottle, lasts for-ever and is really effective. The Edinburgh Natural Skincare Company lotion bars are fantastic and the ZWP Balms are multipurpose so double up and body lotion, lip balm and hand moisturiser. Both are UK made and come in a reusable metal tin.
Stationery
Before you rush out and buy lots of new stationery for the new school year have a look around and check to see what you already have. We have more pens, pencils, ruler, rubbers and spare notebooks than we need so there’s plenty. The kids want new I know but and old pencil writes just as well as a new one! A local primary school is also not allowing kids to bring their own stationery (Did someone say Covid?) So do double check before you head to the shops.
In 2018 £100 million was spent on back to school stationery including notebooks, pens and pencil cases, compared with £65 million in the previous year! Gobsmacking!
If you do need to replace items or buy new items then try to make sure they are made from sustainable materials and can be reused rather than thrown away. When your children are old enough invest in a good quality pen that you can refill. And, try and avoid buying cheap plastic fashionable stationery that will be discarded once it goes out of fashion.
School Bag
Your child’s school bag is going to get a lot of use throughout the year and you want to make sure you buy one that’s going to last. Kids change their tastes a lot as they grow up so you can buy a good quality second hand bag. If new is the only way, invest in a good quality new bag it could last them for years and think about how what they will need to carry will change over time. Right now think about space for their lunchbox & water bottles, pencil case, reading book, jotters, break snack and maybe indoor shoes/gym kit. Lou’s even had the needle and thread out to give last year’s school bag a face lift.
Getting to school
Walk or cycle to school if you can. If you live further away perhaps try a park and stride approach to reduce your miles driven and get a bit of energy boosting exercise in a morning – sets you up for the day :)
With Covid19 concerns about public transport, car use for the school run is set to increase so this approach will also help ease car congestion around the school gates.
And perhaps most important…
Your morning coffee routine
Let’s face it. This is going to be tough. I can’t remember the last time any of us in this house saw 7am regularly (I have teens – well that’s my excuse anyway!) so the morning coffee is a must. With time short and that morning list of yelling – get your bag, where are your shoes, have you got your lunch, has anyone seen a hairbrush anywhere etc etc, a good morning routine is needed. I love taking a coffee with me but finding time in all that to grind beans, wash the inevitably dirty cafetiere and so on means I know I’m going to miss out. I love our Steampunk coffee beans and you can get ready ground too. So I plan to wash the cafetiere the night before and grind my beans in prep for the morning. Get the non-spill reusable cup out ready – an essential for busy mum trying to juggle too many things as you can literally chuck it in your bag, full, and it won’t leak! The perfect start to a calm day
Here’s wishing all the kids a happy and safe return to school and the Mums, Dads and other carers a bit of a break!