School trip... not very environmentally friendly

[bigchris]

Been told to take disposable bags for lunch and drinks so it can all be chucked away. 60 reception kids so that's a lot of rubbish. And then they have topics like being good to the environment

[poopscoop]

I agree with you there, it is always the same at our school. All those plastic water bottles in the bin (unless of course they are putting them in a recycle bin)

[mrz]

There are paper bags and cardboard cartons if you are concerned but imagine you are just five and have to carry your packed lunch box around all day ... and still have it when you get home.

[bigchris]

they will be told to put all the rubbish in the bin though
why can't they leave their lunch on the coach and put the lunch boxes back on the coach when there finished? it's not rocket science!

[southeastastra]

lol can't say i get too het up about this

[bigchris]

lol
I know but it does seem a wee bit hypocritical to me

[MadBadandDangerousToKnow]

It's not rocket science, but the time spent traipsing back to the coach with 60 four and five year olds and their lunch boxes is time that won't be spent on something more fun or more educational.

[mrz]

bigchris often the coaches don't stay with the children they do other hire contracts in between dropping off and picking up which keeps the cost of the trip down.

[misshardbroom]

sorry, I see your point but I'm totally with the school here. If you offset it against the other 194 school days per year that they aren't binning their lunchbags, it's really not that eco-disastrous.

[ellingwoman]

In our school we don't trust the children with their lunches as they snack on it on the journey. So it's easier for an adult to carry 6 carrier bags than 6 odd shaped lunchboxes as well as all the other paraphenalia!

[bigchris]

yes I did think it would probably all get eaten on the bus

I take the point about the coach maybe not staying there all day

I'll get my coat

[piscesmoon]

It is the only sensible option. The coach is not there to put the lunch boxes back. DCs are not good at carrying their belongings all day! Some would get lost.

[ChippyMinton]

It's a great idea. Lots of kids have pre-packed stuff in their lunch bags anyway, so not hugely less eco-friendly than normal, and massively more practical for the teachers.

[Miggsie]

It annoys me as well, basically because you can't put in yogurt or anything cold beause the plastic bag is not insulated and you can't put cooler packs in it either.

Also, I have to go out specially and buy juice in cartons...not something I normally have in the house.

I remember school trips when the lunch boxes were gathered up in the morning and stowed by teacher then doled out at lunch time, then taken back and put in the coach.

Guess we were just all better organised back then...nostalgic thoughts of Tupperware boxes with a sticker on with my mother's name in capitals on it...

[peanutbutterkid]

It's only eco-unfriendly if you go out and buy new bags/bottles for the disposable lunch bag. I save small bottles, like the other day DC had Happy Meals (first time in 9 years!) and we got two small bottles with that outing. So I brought them home, washed out, and Presto! Handy spare bottles to be used for DC lunch drinks or the occasional outing when a disposable lunch bag is required.

Ditto I have many spare carriers (and I NEVER ask for them at shops, I just get them from other people when they give me a bag of old clothes or send a gift for DC, etc.) and dozens of other excess packaging bags.

Really, not much trouble at all, and can easily be done using 90+% recycled materials.

[Seeline]

I get round the keeping things cold issue by freezing a couple of those yogurt tubes. Put them in teh bag just before leaving for school, they keep sandwiches reasonably cool and have defrosted by lunchtime.

[sandyballs]

Haven't been on Mumsnet for a while and forgotten how funny it can be .

I can't really get in a state about something like this, makes sense to me on a trip and not really that often is it.

Peanutbutterkid - love the way you thought you had to 'justify' your DC's mcdonalds by adding 'first time in 9 years' . Only on Mumsnet!

[peanutbutterkid]

Sandyballs, I probably will go again soon, too .
My best friends in real life are much more anti-McDs than I am (and most MNers seem to be). I just don't like the quality of their food.

[melissa75]

speaking from the teachers perspective...who are you expecting to carry all these lunches? When we go on a trip, I have to take a knapsack which holds two changes of clothes, first aid kit, all the medication for the kids (asthma pumps, epipens, any other medical supplies), my own lunch, all the parent emergency contact info etc etc...I do not have room to carry thirty packed lunch boxes! Speaking from experience, the carrying of these would be left to me because little ones either set them down somewhere and forget them and end up with no lunch (along with jumpers, coats, cardigans etc etc etc...) or, the teacher has to carry them. Now, I am 100% with you on the eco friendliness...but what we need to be worried about more is the number of recyclable items that are thrown out in the dinner hall each and every day of the year, because the majority of schools, if not all of them, only have paper recycling facilities. Nowhere to put the plastic bottles, the cardboard, glass bottles etc... so they are being thrown out on a daily basis...thats where the enthusiasm needs to go, not the field trips. Because personally, and I would hope you would agree...I would rather focus my attention during a field trip on the safety of your child, than on carrying their packed lunch bag around all day long.

[piscesmoon]

Having done lots of school trips I agree melissa!

[bigchris]

lol
I aways find the parent helpers carry the lunches and the teachers carry a clipboard

[MadBadandDangerousToKnow]

Well said Melissa75!

[weegiemum]

We've been told that the kids must take all rubbish home after the trip (all 3 of mine are going on trips next week). No rubbish allowed!

[mrz]

20 or 30 years ago children didn't have Hungry Jungle or Ben10 lunch boxes, we had tuperware if we were lucky. Bus companies tended to hire the bus for the day and it stayed with the children all day so belongings could be left on the bus and collected when needed but it is quite usual for bus companies to use the same coach for a number of "trips" on the same day and sometimes it isn't even the same one that returns for the home journey meaning everything has to be carried around all day.
I would imagine your daughter will have her LSA along who will help to carry her lunch as she is a special case.