Parents who pack a child's lunch in disposable bags or containers generate 45 to 90 pounds of garbage every year, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

That garbage — which often weighs more than the child who carries it — is costly to the environment. It consumes scarce and costly landfill space.

Instead of generating waste in the form of juice boxes, straws, plastic bags and plastic containers, parents should consider reusable lunch boxes, says Gabrielle Done, a spokesperson for DEC. Kids should carry sandwiches, desserts and drinks in a lunch box, a reusable bag, or — at least — a brown bag made from recycled paper. Carry reusable containers for drinks, sandwiches and desserts, she suggests.

Parents ought to consider sending their children to school or camp with reusable forks, spoons and knives. Or they should wash plastic utensils and use them over and over, suggests DEC.

Rather than purchasing pre-packaged desserts such as applesauce or pudding, parents can buy desserts in bulk and pack them in reusable containers. Another option is to purchase desserts, like apples or bananas, that don't require packaging. And parents ought to use cloth napkins instead of paper ones.

Schools across the country are embracing the waste-free lunch idea.

The Nassakeag Elementary School, in Setauket, NY, asked students to bring a trash-free lunch during Earth Week. Instead of a paper bag, students brought a reusable lunch sack. Instead of a Ziploc bag or aluminum foil, they carried Tupperware for sandwiches and snacks. Rather than a drink box, they brought a Thermos for drinks. And they used metal spoons to replace plastic ones, reports teacher Robyn Siegelman.

The Edna Maguire School in Mill Valley, CA, instituted a waste-free lunch week. Teachers handed out blue "caught being good" slips to students who brought lunches packed in a reusable box or bag. The students held onto uneaten foods to be eaten later and brought lunches in containers that contained very little trash, according to Amy Hemmert, a former teacher and co-founder of wastefreelunches.org, based in Santa Cruz, CA, which aims to educate parents nationwide about the benefits of trash-free lunches.

As Hemmert points out: While parents should make some effort to transform how they think about packing lunches, their effort also helps teach children how to protect the environment and saves valuable landfill space.