The first time I saw our new system for school lunches I knew that there was an issue. I noticed that the fruit we are all required to take are all wrapped in a plastic bag, even if it comes with its own covering, like a banana, or pre cut fruit in another plastic container. This system thoroughly confused me. Why were we creating so much unnecessary plastic waste? There was no good answer. Despite the fact that student bodies have already spoken out against this practice, the school continues to put these actions into practice. 

As single-use plastics continue to pollute more and more of our world, one can't help but wonder how we can change this. One way is to make small changes close to home. The removal of single-use plastics from use in school lunches would remove hundreds of plastic bags from our failing ecosystems. If more and more schools across the country began to implement these practices, there would be a noticeable difference in the amount of plastics polluting our world. Although there are still many much larger issues with the environment, this change will not only help to reduce the impact that our community has on the environment, but it will also help to raise awareness of these environmental issues, close and far from home.