14: Zero Waste Back to School — Simple Ways to Save Money and Reduce Waste

Back-to-school doesn’t have to mean a cart full of new stuff. In this episode of Sustainable in the Suburbs, I’m sharing how to get your kids ready for school without wasting money — or creating a mountain of waste.

From supplies and clothing to tech and litterless lunches, you’ll hear practical tips for:

• Starting with what you already have before buying new.
• Teaching kids the difference between needs and wants.
• Shopping secondhand first and making use of community resources.
• Tips for thrifting with and for your kids.
• Choosing durable, repairable, and refillable items when you do need to buys.
• Packing low-waste lunches (and making mornings easier in the process)!

We’ll also talk about mindset — how to push back on the marketing pressure that tells us everything “expires” every August, and instead set your family up for a school year that’s lighter on the planet and your wallet.

And stick around to the end for this week’s One Small Shift — a simple, doable way to make your child’s school year more sustainable.

Resources

How to Pack a Zero Waste School Lunch

25 Healthy Snacks for Zero Waste Lunches

Thrift Shopping for Kids

How to Stop Shopping on Amazon (And Why You Should)

Transcript

0:00

What if you could get your kids ready for back to school without spending any money or sending a single piece of waste to landfill? Consider this your new class project. Welcome to Sustainable in the Suburbs, a podcast for the eco curious who want to live a greener life and are looking for a place to start. I'm your host, Sarah Robertson Barnes, a soccer mom with a station wagon and a passion for sustainable living. Each week I'll bring you practical tips and honest conversations to help you waste less, save money and make small doable shifts that actually fit your real life. Because sustainable living doesn't have to be perfect to matter and you don't have to do it all to make a difference. Hi, welcome back to Sustainable in the Suburbs, the podcast where we start where we are, use what we have and live a little greener, one small shift at a time. My name is Sarah Robertson Barnes and I'm so glad you're here. Thank you so much for listening and being a part of this growing community. Sustainable in the Suburbs is a listener-supported show, so if you've been enjoying the show and want to help keep it going, there are a few simple but meaningful ways to do that. You can share an episode with a friend, or leave a rating or a review, check out the links in the show notes to my blog, shop, newsletter, all that good stuff. Every little bit of support makes a difference, and it truly means the world to me. Okay. So let's talk about our new class project. Do you remember that old staples ad with like a dad flying through the aisles on a cart with it's the most wonderful time of the year playing? Back to school season definitely has its perks, but it also comes with this unspoken rule that everything, backpacks, lunch gear, clothes, pencil cases just magically expires in August and needs to be replaced. But that pressure is not real, it's marketing. Back to school has become one of the most consumption heavy times of the year. In the US, families are now averaging around $860 per household on clothing, supplies, electronics, you name it. And in Canada, that's about $700 per child on back to school stuff. That's a lot of money and a lot of stuff. Now, Just to be clear, I'm not talking about the classroom supply list that your teacher sends home. That's a funding issue and a civic engagement conversation. What I am talking about is managing our own expectations and by extension, our kids expectations about what a new school year actually requires. Because the greenest and cheapest and least stressful thing you can do is almost always use what you already have. And that's really the heart of today's episode, reducing waste. saving money and rethinking the all new everything mindset. So today we're going to look at back to school through that lens from school supplies to tech to clothing and lunches and talk about how to start the school year prepared without overspending or overconsuming. The start of the school year is a lot like the first of January. It's a reset, it's a new year, new me, new kid, whatever. And so it seems like it's a great place to restart, refresh. But here's the thing, a new school year does not require all new stuff. Your kid probably doesn't need a new backpack or lunch bag or water bottle or pencil case or all new clothes or the latest must haves being pushed by influencers. Again, that's just marketing. And once you start seeing it for what it is, it's a lot easier to push back on. I think this is one of the most important mindset shifts you can make going into the new school year, because the marketing this time of year is relentless. Every ad, every store display, every brand email, every flyer is telling you that your kids need brand new everything every single year. And that's just not true. So instead of letting the marketing set your to-do list, let's take control of it. There's a simple approach that I use every year that keeps our spending low and our waste even lower and our sanity intact. It starts with looking at what you already have and then moving on to what you might actually need and where to find it without falling into the all new everything from Amazon or whatever trap. Start with taking an inventory of what you already have. Before you buy a single new thing, take stock of what's already in your home and see how far that gets you with your list. Starting from a mindset of abundance rather than lacking makes it easier to resist the pressure to buy all new everything. And it's amazing how much you'll be able to cross off the list just by shopping your house first. So start by going through last year's backpacks. One of my sons has like 400 pencils in the bottom of his backpack. Boom, pencils are sorted. Go through your junk drawers, cupboards, closets, gather anything that's still in good shape. So school supplies, their lunch gear, lunch bags, clothing, shoes, tack, whatever it is. See what's still in good shape, what still fits, and you can cross items off your shopping list as you find them. I know there's like, I just want something new for this year. Like I get that. And I saw a cool thing online somebody was doing, which is instead of buying a new backpack every year, they get a new patch to sew onto their kid's backpack to represent that new year. You can repair instead of replacing, clean the things, cleaning the backpack can make a huge difference, cleaning up shoes, whatever it is, decorating, embroider something, sky's the limit really, if you're a crafty person for just refreshing things that you already have. So once you've crossed off everything you can from your own cupboards and closets and drawers, The next best place to shop is within your community. So if you don't have something, see if you can borrow or swap before you buy. So friends, neighbors, family, always check your local buy nothing group. That's a great place to start. People will be finding craft supplies, whatever, that they have extra in their house and listing them for free. You can also do an in search of post. like, I'm really looking for... I calculators for my kids for this fall and people will be like, I have something like that in my junk drawer and offer it up. So it's always a good place to start. This is really perfect for like one-off or short-term needs like sports gear, musical instruments, outdoor gear, extra art supplies, that kind of thing. Try to swap clothes with other families. For kids that might be a little bit older than yours, this works really well, especially for kids who grow out of their clothes. Like as soon as you get them, feels like. And just remember, you can also be a help to other families. So pass along these items that you have that you no longer need and keep things moving through the community instead of being donated where they're likely to end up in landfill. If you still have items on your list, the next best place to look is secondhand before buying now. We're a big secondhand first family. So we're going to check thrift stores, consignment shops, community sales. Those types of things are full of back to school items. So clothes, backpacks, lunch kits, binders, even water bottles. So remember the Stanley Cup craze from a year or two ago? Those are all at the thrift store now. So are all of the corporate branded swell bottles and so on. My youngest loses water bottles like it's his job. So we just head to the thrift and grab a new to us bottle, sanitize it and off he goes. Some brands offer replacement lids, straws, that kind of thing. So if you can sanitize the bottle, but you're worried about the lid, you can always order a new lid instead of an entirely new bottle. Buying secondhand keeps perfectly good items in use, reduces the demand for new production, and almost always costs a fraction of the retail price. Plus, because kids outgrow things so quickly, you can often find pieces in almost new condition or new with tags for a lot less money. And I'll have some tips on thrifting for kids a little later in the episode. Okay, so if you've done all that and you still need to buy new, this is when it's worth slowing down and choosing quality that will last. So look for pieces that are durable, repairable, timeless enough that they won't feel out by the end of the school year. So this could mean a backpack with a lifetime warranty. My two kids each have Herschel backpacks in just plain dark colors, so they don't go out of style. They don't show stains. my oldest has had his, he's going to high school in this fall. So he's had his for almost 10 years now. Stainless steel lunch containers also last forever. So wherever you can support small or local businesses and your dollars will go a lot further in your community and you're more likely to find products that are made with care. Okay, let's talk about the main items on the back to school list and that is school supplies. This is the category that can feel the most back to school, gotta buy new because it's the most visible. Big box stores are stacked floor to ceiling with pencils, markers, notebooks, lunch kits. It's also where the marketing is the loudest and where it's easiest to end up buying way more than you actually need. When it comes to classroom supplies, I do just want to go back to something I said earlier about these lists. The lists that come home from your child's teacher with the glue sticks and the paper towels and the dry erase markers and Kleenex, that's for the classroom. And those items are because teachers are filling gaps in funding, not because they want you to run out and buy an entire cart of brand new things. That's for everyone in the class. And those lists are a different conversation. That's a civic engagement issue. So pause this and... Call your reps. And now that we're back, we're going to talk about stuff that is for your child specifically. These are the things that end up in their backpack and their pencil case. So think of this moment as an learning opportunity for needs versus wants. look, I get sucked into these sales because I want cute new set of mechanical pencils and like gel pens too. last year's binders and scissors and rulers and leftover pencils and pens, they work just fine. Stock your pencil case with that. If you do need something new to you, check out thrift stores or the consignment shop before you buy it retail. Our thrift store has a quote craft supply section. And that's where I have found binders, an open packed of notebook papers, a set of Sharpie like thin Sharpie markers, which was a huge score. So just have a scan and see what's there. And when you do buy new, look for things that are refillable or durable or sustainably made options. A metal ruler will last through all of school. uh Refillable mechanical pencils keeps a lot of other plastic and that sort of thing out of the landfill. So when those items finally do wear out, pens run dry, markers are dead, what have you, find out where you can recycle them in your area. So for example, I can bring that kind of stuff to Staples. Many office supply stores like Staples or other community programs accept things like empty pens and markers and glue sticks for proper recycling. And you could even volunteer to collect them from your child's classroom at the end of the year. It's a small, easy way to reduce waste going to landfill and get a little bit involved in your school community. So check that out. So tech and electronics, these are a relatively new requirement that parents now have to navigate. And it can be a pricey one if your school district doesn't have a borrowing program or enough tech to go around. And with so much learning online now, even at the elementary level, tech is an important factor. So my advice here is the same as with everything else, just resist the upgrade cycle. If a device still works, keep using it. just needs to get the classwork done. My two share a very old laptop or they borrow one of ours when they're doing homework. Do they ask for their own or like even for their own tablets? Sure, all the time. But our answer is no, because we have what we need and it works. If something's broken, see if it can be repaired before replacing it. And if you do need something new, try new to you. Look for refurbished models from a reputable seller. The laptop that I am recording this on is secondhand and then has subsequently been refurbished with a new battery and it works great. Secondhand tech saves you money. It keeps electronics out of the waste stream and they still work perfectly well for what you need them for. And of course, if you do have devices that have reached end of life and are just like sitting in a junk drawer, be sure to check your local rules on how to recycle your e-waste appropriately. I've also recently learned that the Apple store will take back those types of things, even if it's not an Apple product, to ensure that it's recycled properly and you might get a little bit of money for your old Apple devices. So check out your local Apple store for that. All right, we've covered the easy wins. Now let's get into the meaty stuff. Clothes, shoes, and outdoor gear is where a lot of the back to school budget goes. And that's also where the pressure to like buy new and trendy is the strongest, especially as kids get older. The first thing we do is check to see what still fits and what's still in good shape before shopping, because kids do seem to grow like weeds over the summer. So pants that fit in May may not fit in September. Repair what you can and then put aside anything that they've outgrown so you can donate or swap or pass it along in some way. When kids are younger, shopping secondhand or hand-me-downs is usually pretty easy. Little kids rarely care where their clothes come from. I've also found that folks tend to overbuy and then kids grow out of things before they're even worn. So you can find some great stuff brand new with tags on at the secondhand store. But as they get older, those outside pressures to fit in can and do get stronger. So that's why it's important to start early, making secondhand shopping just normal and showing them that thrifting is just as valid and usually more fun than buying brand new. That said, you can still find like the cool trendy items secondhand online through apps like Poshmark or Depop. And we recently found a pair of Neverworn. fancy basketball shoes that my son really wanted on an app here in Canada called Kijiji um for like a third of the price that they wouldn't have been new. And he was thrilled when we went to pick them up. Thrift stores, consignment shops, online marketplaces, even school uniform exchange programs are gold mines for clothing, backpacks, and outerwear. And like I keep saying, the secondhand market is full of almost new items because kids grow out of things so quickly. And we found pieces with tags on more times than I can count. Buying secondhand keeps those items in use, reduces demand for new production and avoids feeding the fast fashion cycle. And I've heard people say that secondhand isn't always like that much cheaper than, you know, the big box brands, but the point isn't just the price tag. It's also about the environmental impact, the labor conditions behind fast fashions and teaching your kids mindful consumption habits. I have two boys that are close in age. So we did run a hand-me-down system for like everything but underwear and socks for years. They're getting close to the same size now, but inevitably the older one still needs like a few bigger pieces each year. And when that happens, we do head to the thrift store and I bring them with me. It teaches them to manage their expectations, to hunt for things that they like, hunt for quality over brand names. and just appreciate the thrill of the find. Finding like, we found a Bob's burger t-shirt. That's one of our favorite shows to watch as a family. And my son wears it every day of his life, it feels like. And it was like four bucks. So score. And as they get older at the thrift store, I just give them a budget of their own to spend however they want, which is a great way to teach money skills, planning, and all of that kind of stuff. If you're new to secondhand shopping for kids, here are some tips that might make it easier and more successful for you. So first off, know your stores. Get familiar with the thrift and consignment resale shops in your area, what they each specialize in, if that's applicable, their average pricing, their buying days, and when their sale days are. So here in Ontario, I swear by Once Upon a Child. for clothes and play it against sports for equipment and some outdoor gear. And those are here in Ontario. I think they're elsewhere in Canada as well, but those are amazing resources for that kind of stuff. When you are shopping, focus on quality and not necessarily the brand names. The goal is to find pieces that will last, not just what the label says, but also certain brands will fit your child the best. So go for that. When mine were small, Carter's just seemed to fit them better than anything else. So I would look for that. And then as they get older, I know that there's certain brands of jeans or what have you that are going to last them longer. So that's an easy way to start just scanning through all of the options. In your home, keep a too small bin in their closet so that as they outgrow things, you can toss them in that bin and know that they're too small, this can get passed down to the next youngest kid, or it can go in the swap or donate or sell bin when it's full. Obviously honor your kid's style. Let them have a say in colors and patterns and styles that they actually like versus maybe what you think is cute because that means they'll actually wear what you bring home. It is easy to fall into the over consumption trap at the thrift store. Take it from me. So that's a way that you can be mindful there as well. keep their measurements handy. So I keep a list of their current sizes and future needs in my phone. So I can do a quick scan when I'm out thrifting. If they have something that they need now, like they really need another pair of pants, I can grab that in their current size. Or if I'm looking the size up and I'm like, jackpot, there's four great pairs of pants here for next season, I can grab those. With thrifting, you need to go often and be patient. you either strike out or you strike gold and it seems like there's no in between. So once you get into the habit of just scanning and only looking at the sections that you need things in, it can actually go quickly. When you do find something, obviously check the conditions. So you're going to want to look for sturdy seams. I look for those like internal waste adjusters in the pants. need those for my skinny kits. So if pants don't have that, I just don't know if they're gonna fit. I need them to be adjustable. Make sure the zippers work and there's buttons intact and there's no stains and all of that sort of thing. And of course, shop off season. So things get put out earlier and earlier. Like I'm seeing Halloween stuff putting out at the end of July. It seems like they put snow pants out in September. So if you see that, grab them. This is a great way for you to get your winter gear, a Halloween costume, what have you. Grab that early and you're done. If your school requires uniforms, check to see if there's like an outgrown uniform program, a swap, something like that, or start one yourself. Some of these thrift store chains do have a little uniform section as well. So give that a glance. And if you have a network of friends or family with kids around the same age, go ahead and organize that clothing swap for your school. That way we can still keep some of these uniform items in circulation. It's fun. It's free. and it keeps things moving through your school community instead of being sent to landfill. And of course, if you do buy new clothes, choose well-made, versatile pieces and styles and colors your kids actually like and wear. Look for better fabrics and construction so that these items last through the whole school year and can hopefully be passed along again and again. And of course, be sure to prioritize local and small businesses. Ooh, that was a lot. So now that everybody's dressed and their backpacks are full of school supplies, all that's left to do is pack their lunches. Their litter-less lunches. So I know figuring out what to send for school lunches is a daily challenge. It never ends. We are juggling nutrition and allergies and convenience. And if you're listening to this episode, you're also considering the environmental impact of what goes in the lunchbox. With about 180 school days in a year, the single use packaging from granola bars, sandwich bags, yogurt cups, it adds up really fast with the average student generating about 67 pounds of lunch waste every school year. So a zero waste or like litterless lunch, I think some schools might call it a boomerang lunch, just means that nothing ends up in the classroom garbage can. Schools usually don't have composting options or even recycling options. So food waste ends up going straight to landfill otherwise. Everything in a litterless lunch is either eaten or it turns right back around and goes home for composting or recycling or reuse the next day. It's not about perfection or making a zero waste lunch. It's just about less waste, less wasted food, saving money. and teaching your kids how their everyday choices add up. So the basics of a zero waste or litterless lunch are simple. Reusable everything. So reusable containers. I really like the like nesting stainless steel containers and I'll link the one set that we've been using for about 10 years below. Cutlery. So you can get like a set of lunch cutlery. I don't love the bamboo cutlery options. You can just use cutlery out of your drawer. It's not that serious. It usually does come home. But if you're worried about lost spoons, which go wherever lost socks go, just head to the thrift store and grab a set of like random cutlery. It's like 10 cents a piece usually. And that can be your lunch cutlery, a reusable water bottle and a cloth napkin. So our cloth napkins are actually like small little burp cloths that a friend of mine had made for us when my kids were small. And so my oldest is going to high school now and we're still using the same thing in the lunch bag. We've never lost a lunch container, not once, knock on wood. We have had two cracked lids on eight containers in 10 years and the company replaced those. So didn't have to buy something new, just replace the broken bit. Or you can also just use containers you already have, it's fine. If you have a set of plastic containers, great. If they're still usable, use them. There's no need to buy something new or that's like quote more eco when the thing that you already have is the most sustainable thing you can use. Try to avoid single serving snacks and individually wrapped foods when you can. Buy in bulk and portion into your own containers. So for example, an easy one is instead of the individual yogurt cups, just buy the big container of yogurt and portion it out into your reusables. You'll save money, you will produce far less plastic waste, and you actually have a great reusable container when that big tub of yogurt is empty. So that's one way you can get around it. But like I said, just try to avoid it when you can, if you can, where you can. Life happens. Whatever you have space for at the time, then do that. And that's enough. m Lunches. Meal planning is your best friend here. I don't love meal planning either, but it really does make a difference. So think about what the school lunches will be when you plan dinners. You can send leftovers. You can prep their snacks in bulk, keep veggies cut and ready to go in the fridge, that sort of thing. Get your kids involved in the process. I find that if they help choose and pack, and prep their own lunches, they're more likely to actually eat them, which means less food waste coming home. So we do a big batch cook of snacks about once a month and freeze everything. And then we can just grab and go in the mornings. So we do things like energy bites, granola bars, muffins, soft pretzels, et cetera. I do have a blog post with I think 25 package free snacks. And so I'll link that for you down in the show notes. When it comes to food waste, compost if you can at school or at home. If your school doesn't compost, this is where the litterless lunch comes in clutch. Your kids can bring all their scraps home so you can compost what they didn't eat and you can see what they didn't eat. You can actually check to see if they're eating their lunches or not. And then beyond your own kids' lunches, think about how you can encourage waste reduction in the wider school community. So if your school isn't already doing it, you could advocate for boomerang lunches. You could help set up composting in the classroom. You could grab a TerraCycle box or snack packaging wrappers for your child's classroom. uh Or you could volunteer to lead a sustainability activity in class, the eco club at school, that kind of thing. So there are lots of opportunities to be an eco parent at your child's school. But honestly, just go easy on yourself. Just start with one change in the lunches and build from there. So maybe this year it's reusable snack bags or stainless steel containers. ah Maybe next school year you do start making more snacks from scratch. Whatever the pace, you and your kids are making a difference every single day when you send them to school with the planet in mind. So as always, I like to wrap up each episode with a segment that I call One Small Shift. This is where I leave you with a simple, doable change that you can start making right away, because these small steps are how we build lasting, sustainable habits. So for this episode, my one small shift is this. A new school year does not require new stuff. Just start with what you already have. Fill in the gaps with secondhand or swapped items. and try to make intentional choices that fit your budget and your values. So just like learning a new concept at school, you start with the small things and over time they add up to something much bigger. Even one small shift like reusing last year's backpack or switching out your lunch containers ripples out to save you money over time will reduce a lot of waste and set examples that your kids literally carry with them. I hope this episode leaves you feeling ready for back to school with less waste and more saved money. One where you can start with what you have, shop secondhand first and only buy new but better when it's truly needed. So we covered everything from school supplies to tech to clothing, lunches, food waste. I've got blog posts for almost all of it, including that big zero waste lunch post, um all linked for you down in the show notes. If you're looking for more practical tips, low waste ideas for sustainable living, or you just want to keep the conversation going, you can find me on Instagram at Sarah Robertson Barnes or over on sustainable in the suburbs.com. You can sign up for my newsletter while you're there and all of that and other ways to support the podcast are linked down in the show notes. So thanks again for listening today. I'm so glad you're here until next time. Start where you are, use what you have and live a little greener. Thanks for tuning in to Sustainable in the Suburbs. Every small step adds up and I'm so glad we're doing this together. If you enjoyed this episode, please make sure to follow the show, share it with a friend and leave a review wherever you get your podcasts. You can find me at sustainableinthesuburbs.com or at Sarah Robertson Barnes on all the things. Until next time, start where you are, use what you have and live a little greener.