Single use plastics can take anywhere from 20-500 years to break down. Despite this, humans still produce and use 300 million tons of plastic every year. Irreversible impacts on the environment have already taken place, and if a change isn't made now then it may be too late in years to come.

At Waubonsie Valley High School, when students go to get lunch they are required to take a plastic bag with plastic utensils and a fruit with their main lunch meal. This fruit is usually a banana or an orange that already has its own natural packaging. So why does it need to be placed in a plastic bag? It's not only the fruit, the plastic utensils are also wrapped in a plastic bag. As students walk out of the lunchroom, they throw out these items they were just required to get. The majority of students don't even need these plastic utensils for they're meal, and yet they are still required to take them. These students are ages 14-18; they are fully capable of making the decision of whether or not they need utensils with their meal. 

Not requiring students to take this fruit and utensil pack is a simple ask. As students take these out of necessity, the plastic waste will drastically be reduced at Waubonsie Valley High school.