Assembling a (Sustainable) Reusable Lunch Box Kit for $40...is it Possible?
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden 
on 11.22.08
photo thefuturistics @ flickr.
Recently I declared I'd never buy a $40 Kids Konserve lunchbox for a kid no matter how many sustainable bells and whistles it had. The price seemed unsustainable.
But it got me to thinking - and TreeHuggers on the lunch box forum thread seemed to agree - it's not all that easy to find a lunch box that meets all these criteria - as green as possible, not too heavy, sturdy, long lasting. As I was still thinking $40 was too steep for the Kids Konserve, I set out to put together a kid's (or adult's) lunch kit that met all the above criteria. Hit the jump to read about the search and the surprising results.
My criteria for the lunch kit were as follows: all reusable components (i.e. no paper bags), no plastic, and under $40. That no-plastic requirement in the end sank my efforts.
Laptop lunchbox handy, but doesn't meet all the criteria
There are some good lunch box concepts out there - the Laptop Lunch system was one of the first to turn up in my search, and it meets the not-too-heavy criteria and does make eating at a picnic-style table really steady. It has it's own insulated carry bag, which for some climates is quite important. But to me the plastic (as well as the nearly $40 price) made it a no-go.
Bento boxes fabulous, but all in plastic and (horrors!) melamine
The next find was the great variety of Japanese-inspired bento boxes at the E-bay bento store. I'm so drawn to these bento boxes (secret Hello Kitty fetish alert!) and the prices and selection are great, but for me the massive amount of plastic again makes this choice ultimately a no go.
DIY lunch boxes, how much does it have to cost?
Instead, I turned eventually to the two-tier tiffin box as my base lunch box. The tiffin runs about $15 on the net and can probably be tracked down in mid-sized towns for less. It's more money at To-Go Ware ($18), but their version looks high quality and can be broken down to a single tier, a plus - and To-Go Ware's "sidekick" tin for sauces or yogurt, that's a real deal-maker. A less-expensive single tier tiffin is here.
Armed with To-Go Ware's stainless steel tiffin box, I still felt the need for some extra containers. I really love the stainless tins at Kids Konserve, but at 4 for $15 my budget would start to get blown, as I have neither cloth napkin nor drink container in my kit....yet. Instead, to cut down on costs, I find Crate and Barrel glass containers for $6, and have two nifty IKEA glass containers from my own cupboards that are the perfect size and have a rubber lid edge so they stay closed, but are a bit on the heavy side. I'm now at around $25.
On to the drinks and napkins. I really don't want to put my drinking liquids in anything but a Klean Kanteen. The adorable, 12 oz. sippy Kanteen is...$18! Budget blown. And I haven't even added the $30 (for five) super-cute Happikins reusable cloth napkins which come in their own nylon pouch and have space for hand-written Dry Erase notes!
Back to Kids Konserve
So, I make my way back to the Kids Konserve site, a bit reluctantly, and chagrined. While this doesn't mean that it isn't possible for all of us to put together a great lunch box kit assembled by what we may have on hand (like the IKEA containers, and your own Klean Kanteens). But it does mean that if you have to start from scratch, the price for the Kids Konserve offerings maybe is not as off the charts as I had first hypothesized.
When I get to the Kids Konserve site, I'm slightly mollified by the new designs the company has introduced since I wrote about the original product. I peruse the product catalog, and, yes, there it is...the cutest kid-sized tiffin for just $20. Well, not just. It's still a lot. But by using my own stuff (including my own cloth napkin) I can put together the lunch kit of my dreams! Via: ">Kids Konserve
The Laptop Lunchbox Reduces Waste, Saves You Cash
Kids Konserve: A Pricey Lunchbox But a Priceless Concept
The Green Lunch Program: Destined for the Masses?
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Why the sticker shock?
Look at regular- plastic lunchboxes, the kind kids take to school, and you'll see that cost $5-10, just for the box. If you don't buy reusable containers to actually put food in, then every day you'll be carrying a bottled beverage; food in plastic bags, cans, plastic wrap, or aluminum foil; paper napkins; and (to make the comparison a strong as possible) disposable utensils. These extras will add up to over $40 in a month, or two a most.
As with LED lights (vs. incandescents) and solar panels (versus paying your electric company), you need to look at lifecycle costs here. The reusable lunchbox stuff wins handily on price in a fair accounting.
Why the sticker shock?
Look at regular- plastic lunchboxes, the kind kids take to school, and you'll see that cost $5-10, just for the box. If you don't buy reusable containers to actually put food in, then every day you'll be carrying a bottled beverage; food in plastic bags, cans, plastic wrap, or aluminum foil; paper napkins; and (to make the comparison a strong as possible) disposable utensils. These extras will add up to over $40 in a month, or two a most.
As with LED lights (vs. incandescents) and solar panels (versus paying your electric company), you need to look at lifecycle costs here. The reusable lunchbox stuff wins handily on price in a fair accounting.
the end link is broken... :(
Why not buy a used lunch box? I see them constantly at garage sales and thrift stores for under $5. You can save small jars left over from things like pimentos and jelly for the individual containers. Just about anyone can sew a square reusable napkin (or use a bandana or small dish towel) and utensil sleeve.
It might not work for giving as a gift, but you could easily make your own kit for under $25, Sigg or Klean Kanteen included.
The time and effort you spent on buying a used lunch box will cost you more, not cost effective. If you are not satisfied with all the plastic, non-plastic lunch boxes out there, DIY is a natural and cheap way to go.
Or just use containers you already have at home? I use the same pyrex containers i use for everything else and carry them in my backpack.
Ok. The Laptop lunch kit is made of BPA free plastic unlike all the cute HK ones. For napkins, you could take a cute tea towel and cut it in half or into quarters, stitch up the edges and there you go. Oh, and Kleen Kanteens are on sale at REI right now. I got my 27 ounce for 15 bucks with 5 dollar shipping.
watch this:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=43331&cat=1,43326,43330
the 3 tier is on sale for $16, which makes it more economical. and the "action pack" comes with utensils for $30, and you could easily place a napkin with the utensils.
just sayin.
the 3 tier is on sale for $16, which makes it more economical. and the "action pack" comes with utensils for $30, and you could easily place a napkin with the utensils.
just sayin.
Your aversion to plastic, in favor of metal makes zero sense. what makes mined and milled metal better than plastic? they are both recyclable and have limited life spans. and it's pretty damn hard to find metal containers..even the tiffin fins that don't leak. to make a metal or glass container leakless you need plastic.
If you spend your money on good long life plastic containers, take care of them and recycle them when they wear out, they will serve you a long time. Many many tupperwear pieces from the 60s and 70s can still be found in use.
If you want truly green containers...they will have to be edible. If we can get people to just BRING their lunch instead of buying everything prewrapped, we are half way home.
In India these would be called tiffins.
Surprised dwell hasn't written this overpriced, glamorized, keeping up with the Bohemian Joneses item yet-- or has it? I wouldn't know bc I can't stomach reading that bourgeois mag anymore.
It's rather distressing that an article about the search for a sustainable lunch kit includes not just shopping, but shopping for $30 "super-cute Happikins reusable cloth napkins". I suppose we should be grateful these are not throwaway cloth napkins.
=====author replies=======
Hi, Patrick:
That was supposed to be a bit tongue in cheek about the napkins. It is $30 for five napkins, though.
I'm on track with the used lunch box perspective. Why make more and more and more lunch boxes when there are already millions of perfectly good lunch boxes no longer in commission? I don't care if you buy a brand new metal, plastic, or bamboo lunch box, when we already have lunch boxes not being used. It only takes a little creativity and elbow grease to clean up a transformers lunchbox into a sweet conversation piece around the lunch table.
anyone bothered to check out lunchboxes.com? You can get tiffins, regular lunch boxes, themed lunch boxes, domed lunchbox/thermos combos, bento boxes, klean kanteens, and even ice packs if you must. The most expensive thing they've got is $30, and shipping is a flat 6.95. You might not get everything you want under budget if you order it all from there, but you can get a regular old lunch pail for $10, a klean kanteen off of amazon for $12, and pull some silverware from home with a piece of cloth hemmed up for a napkin and fall well under budget.
If you really want to get innovative, take a washcloth, fold it in half and sew 3 of the ends together. Wipe your mouth, fold it inside out, and put your used silverware in it. Problem solved.
$30 for five napkins? That's awfully pricey. You should check out Etsy to find some great bargains and to buy handmade. My cloth napkins are around $8 for a set of four.
Ah not everything needs to be used for its original design. You want a cheap, durable lunchbox?
Surplus army ammo can. 30 and 50 cal ammo boxes are steel, have a collapsing handle and a latch lock. and if you get a relatively new one (issued in the last 5 years), it will still have a rubber gasket, making it waterproof.
Typical price is 5 to 10 dollars, depending on the store or condition.
If you don't want to look like some WOG nutbar, you can easily repaint them.
Camping or army chow sets are typically small collapsible and compact fork/knife/spoon sets, some of the more deluxe sets come with can openers, take your food (soup, pasta) in its original can to reduce packaging.
good starting base kit for probably less than 15 dollars.
How about a paper bag, and keep using it until it's holey, then recycle it?
I used a boutique-store paper bag with handles for 45 days before it fell apart.