It’s still August and I have both feet firmly planted in the sea and sand, and my fingers are stained with blackberry juice, but September is only a few weeks away. My mind is starting to drift towards fresh starts, new routines, and the many lists I need to make to prepare. (To be honest, I love all of it!)

Shifting towards zero waste school supplies as part of your back-to-school routine can save money, reduce household waste, and help your busy weekdays run more smoothly. For our family, greener habits mean less time spent shopping, sorting waste and dealing with stuff – which equals more time together. Family life is busy, and these early years are precious!

Whether your children go to school, daycare, home school, kindergarten, or will be attending the new pre-primary program, they will need a few supplies, clothes, and lunch kit items to mark the adventure of a new year. If you have school aged children, you likely already have their wish lists and teacher lists in hand. Before you head off to the store, list in hand, why not consider making a few changes? Hey, what better time than September to start a new routine?

Zero waste school supplies scavenger hunt

You could make this a game with younger children. But, if your kids need further incentive, you could offer to buy them something they really need and want – like a new pair of sneakers – with the money you save on supplies.

Shop at home first. If your junk drawer is anything like mine, there are a few pens, pencils, and rulers stashed in there. Get your kids to dig around their bedrooms and homework areas for supplies. The best zero-waste supplies are the ones you already own!

Next, try thrift stores. You can often find office supplies in new condition and things like staplers, pencil sharpeners, and scissors for less money and no packaging.

You will likely need to buy a few things new, like markers, glue sticks, and some pens. Shop local office supply stores for the best quality and look for supplies without packaging, like loose pens.

Consider the materials of the supplies you buy new. You can buy notebooks, folders, and even binders made of cardboard and recycled paper; plastic-free highlighter pencils and coloured pencils made of recycled newspaper; metal pencil sharpeners and scissors and cloth pencil cases. When you can’t avoid things like plastic markers, choose companies with recycling programs that you can access from your area.

One bag to carry it all

Choose a sturdy, well-made backpack that will stand the test of time and hold up to wear and tear. Why not spend a little bit more to buy a durable backpack that will last for years? When you wash it, turn it inside out to extend the life of zippers and pockets.

As a fun tradition, your child could add new patches or zipper pulls for each new school year.

Zero waste back to school style

Buying, donating, and recycling used clothing makes a huge environmental impact. 21 billion pounds of textiles are sent to landfills every year. Recycling just two million pounds of clothing per year is equal to taking one million cars of the streets. That’s pretty significant!

Unfortunately, fast fashion is a very wasteful industry. When you shop second-hand, participate in clothing swaps, and extend the life of your own clothes, you divert waste from the landfill and fewer new clothes are made.

We are lucky on the South Shore to have some great thrift and boutique vintage stores – you can choose to dig for treasures or shop from a more curated selection. Since kids grow so fast, there are lots of used finds in good condition out there. You can also support local makers who repurpose recycled fabric to make fun kids clothing and accessories.

Litterless lunch

If you haven’t yet embraced the litterless lunch, this is your year! Lots of local shops and online retailers carry great plastic-free alternatives that will streamline your lunch routine and shrink your trash bag. Plastic wrap and disposables are easily replaced by zero waste school supplies like beeswax wrap, zippered cloth snack pouches, stainless steel bento boxes, bamboo or thrift store cutlery, silicone straws, stainless steel water bottles, and stylish lunch bags that your kids and even teens will approve of.

I suggest some of my favourite lunch kit items in my zero waste Summer guide.

Tie lunch prep into meal planning

If you plan ahead and spend a bit of time prepping for lunches when you do your weekly meal planning (Jen does hers on Mondays), it can really simplify your week. You might be surprised by the money savings, too.

Instead of buying individual portions of things like yogurt, juice boxes, and snacks, but the larger, more economical containers and use small mason jars or reusable containers to portion out lunch items at the start of the week. These little changes save money and cut down on packaging waste.

Here are a few zero-waste snacks my kids like:

• homemade popcorn with various seasonings (try these from the Kitchn)
• homemade hummus with cut up veggies
• Apple slices with peanut butter
• trail mix from bulk barn, purchased in a reusable containers
• energy bites made with bulk ingredients like dates and nuts (my favourite recipe is from Minimalist Baker)

Check out my guide to Zero-waste food shopping for more tips, like buying loose buns or bagels and fruit at the grocery store, or bringing your own container or beeswax wrap to the deli for lunch meat and cheese.

Zero Waste School Prep 101

• Choose quality – Buying new or used, always think quality. Buy something once and use it for years.
• Don’t forget cloth bags! – Many of us are in the habit of grabbing our cloth bags when we head to the grocery store (yay!), but how often do we forget them for other shopping errands? Remember to take along sturdy, roomy cloth bags for back to school shopping and refuse plastic bags at the checkout.
• Label everything – When you invest in quality school supplies, you do not want your kids to lose them! Label everything with durable, washable labels with your child’s first and last name so that they are likely to find their way back home.
  
• Include your children – explain why you are making changes. Showing your kids how they can make change happen on an individual level could empower them!

If you’re in denial about the whole back-to-routine thing, this post is for you: 10 Ways to Make the Most of August

And I know some of you will appreciate this genius parenting hack: Bus Note Printable.

Are you ready for September? What are some your favourite tips for getting back into the regular routine?

Margaret Hoegg is a Simple Local Life Contributor, writer, editor, and sustainability advocate on the South Shore of Nova Scotia. She muses on food, minimalism, homesteading, and simple family living on her blog dulse and maple and on Instagram @dulseandmaple or @margaretannehoegg.