OK, before you make assumptions and personal attacks I really suggest you read my posts. Nowhere did I suggest that teachers should be responsible for children's mess or did I imply that schools are glorified creches.
I am a teacher in a college of over 2000 students and more than 200 staff. Most of the staff bring packed lunches and some of the students do. We are not expected to take our rubbish home. We have boxes for recycling paper, cans and plastic bottles and we have bins for the rest. In an ideal world we would have composting facilities for the rest but we don't. Somehow, mysteriously, this is possible for a workplace of 2200 but somehow mysteriously this is impossible for my schools which may have less than 200.
This is what I do. I make my lunch (and the dds) the night before. I use tupperware for all the sandwiches never foil or cling film. I do use re-usable drinks bottles mostly but sometimes the dds' don't press the caps in properly because they leak. Dd2 is 3 and is at the school's nursery she is not yet able to wrap up food etc. DD1 is 5 and she is but sometimes she forgets or doesn't do it properly. Sometimes (shock) I send the kids with cartons. For example, they had Innocent smoothies last week which come in recylable cartons. Although the children are instructed to empty any dregs from their cartons into the sink understandably they may not get rid of every last drop (when you're 5 and 3 you probably have more interesting things to do). They leak. I do not want to send the dds with plastic with which to wrap up their yoghurt pots etc because of the enviornment and these do not always fit into the containers which hold their sandwiches. Hence, sometimes, a sticky mess at bottom of lunchbox. Obviously some of you do not have this problem but many parents do. Suggesting I do not send my kids with yoghurt, bananas and apples is frankly ridiculous.
My dds school is small (less than 200) and the children eat their lunch in their classroom. This is the system I envisage:
1.) THe children eat their lunch in their s under the supervision of the lunchtime supervisor as tehy do currently.
2.) They put plastics for recyling in a plastic recycling box. They put anything compostable in a compostable box. They put anything that needs to be taken home back in their lunchbox.
3.) One or 2 children per classroom are responsible in each class for taking the recylcing boxes down to the larger containers which are situated in a suitable place.
4.) This is all accompanied by an environmental awareness and healthy eating campaign discouraging parents from sending too much waste and raising awareness about recycling and composting etc (this is all part of the NC now anyway isn't it?)
THe effects:
1.) No more apple cores and yoghurt pots for parents to deal with at home time
2.) Recycling and composting which is good for the planet.
Really can't see how this is a) problematic b) controversial.
If you personally enjoy sifting through your child's crusts and banana skins that's great. As a single parent of 2 and teacher with a meal to cook and then marking to do I don't and don't feel it's necessary. Just because you don't have the same experience or oprinions as me does not mean that my opinions and experiences are not valid.
If you personally recycle your child's waste and compost their apple cores then that's great but many parents don't. If a school offers no choice but lunchboxes then I do feel they should bear at least some responsibility for dealing with the consequences of this to help parents and the environment and the children.