School supplies may be front-and-center in stores across the country, but shoppers can save money by starting their hunt at home. Metro offers simple tips to cut costs this year and make reusing rewarding.
From last year's pens and highlighters to clothing swaps and reusable lunch containers, waste reduction educator Freda Sherburne suggests beginning with what a family already has at home.
"Parents should see what can be reused from the previous school year, and emphasize to their children to take care of what they have so it lasts longer," she says.
Use pens until they run out of ink, and pencils until they're stubs, she says. Unless they're broken, items like rulers and compasses never go bad. And after a quick home inventory, a shopping list can shrink significantly.
When it comes to packing school lunches, parents needn't stock up on plastic bags and aluminum foil.
Reduce waste with reusable lunch containers
"If students bring a lunch from home, I suggest buying food in bulk and packing them in reusable containers. This will save families money and cut out the extra packaging," Sherburne says. "Usually, lunches prepared this way are healthier than pre-packaged foods too."
And don't forget about food scraps, she says. Kids can bring home their apple cores and banana peels for composting.
For many children, the back-to-school shopping experience is half the fun of a new year. But waste reduction educator Sara Kirby says having a conversation about the cost and impact of buying new supplies may ease the urge to buy.
"Many middle school students care about doing something positive for the environment, like saving the rainforest or protecting tigers. But maybe they haven't had a chance to consider how their consumer choices impact those issues," Kirby says. "Talking about and practicing reuse is an easy way to both save a few bucks and a few tigers, trees, or the things they feel passionate about."
If that's not rewarding enough, parents can encourage reuse in the home and at school.
"Parents can come up with a variety of experience rewards if their student is able to extend the life of their school supplies and make them last throughout the school year. A trip to the zoo, a concert or a special event are all positive reinforcement."
Sometimes buying new school supplies and clothes is inevitable. When browsing through the many options, consider:
- Products with more recycled content – paper with a higher percentage of post-consumer materials, for example – and less or no packaging. If the product comes with packaging, first ensure the wrapping or container includes recycled content and can be recycled.
- Pens and pencils made with sustainably harvested wood or recycled content
- Thrift stores for reusable school supplies such as binders and backpacks
- Apparel at thrift and vintage-clothing stores, giving good-quality, one-of-a-kind fashions a second life
- Refurbished computers over new ones. They often cost less, and some come with a warranty when purchased from the manufacturer.