Bento box is really in these days to carry packed lunch. If you do not know what bento boxes are refer to my previous blog on bento boxes.  Since being eco-friendly is the latest buzz word in everything you do, why not translate it to your bento lunch boxes also? If you put your heart into it, there are easy ways to go green when you pack your bento lunch. Here are some ideas:

First, pick an eco-friendly container to carry the packed lunch. You don’t need to go to the supermarket for that. Check your kitchen thoroughly and you would find an old box with or without compartments that could double as bento box. Going green is also about reducing, meaning using less, buying less! So make do with whatever you have and buy new things only if you absolutely must.

But when you choose a box from the old boxes that you already have, make sure the box can be reused or recycled.  Once you find one, it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t have many compartments like a bento box from the market. You can find many small boxes to go inside the big container.  So clean the box well and try to locate the small boxes that can go inside. If you couldn’t find enough number of mini boxes, do not fret. You can make use of lettuce/cabbage leaves or muffin moulds to make compartments inside the bento box. Save small containers with lids from dips and the like and use them to separate items in the bento lunch boxes.

You can translate your eco-friendly concepts into what you carry in your lunch box. No junk food, candies or oils and use organic products to make the lunch. Water is the best drink to carry along with lunch and recyclable bottles are the best and the most eco-friendly mode to carry water. Make sure you carry some cloth napkins along with your bento box. Wash it between lunches and reuse them. To carry the lunch box and the accessories along, look for a cloth bag. Plastic bags are not advisable unless they are reusable or can be recycled. Last, but not the least, any waste from the lunch should be carried back home and discarded in the compost pile instead of adding to the already huge landfill.

Image Credit: debskitchencreations.blogspot.com