Plastic Free Lunch Day
k-8 Plastic free lunch day artwork contest!
We will select 10 winners (one art piece from each grade and one from a D75 school) that best illustrate how schools and/or students can reduce plastic usage in the lunchroom. The goal of this contest is to create a dialogue and encourage school stakeholders to participate in reducing single-use plastic during school lunches.
The winning artwork will be printed as posters for NYC Public School Cafeterias and will be featured on our Instagram and Facebook pages! All artwork will be graded based on the designs’ subject relevance, call-to-action/message, overall design, and artwork quality.
This contest is in partnership with the Office of Food and Nutrition Services and Cafeteria Culture.
Read more about the contest guidelines.
Next PLastic free lunch day -
May 8
Plastic Free Lunch Day is an action day to reduce as much plastic use as possible during school lunch, a way to help protect our environment & our health. The Office of Food and Nutrition Services will be serving school lunches with minimal to no single use plastic and students who bring lunch from home are encouraged to pack their food in a reusable container. Plastic Free Lunch Day repeats every three weeks!
Join school districts around the country and take climate action in the cafeteria! The Plastic Free Lunch Days for the rest of the 2023-24 school year are:
April 3
April 17
May 8
May 29
Elementary Schools
Elementary schools kitchens automatically participate. Lunches will be served without plastic packaging, a monumental step towards reducing waste!
Middle & High Schools
Middle and high schools kitchens have different types of meal service than elementary schools, but they can still reduce plastic waste through staff and student engagement.
Tips for Plastic Free Lunch Day
Let your school know about Plastic Free Lunch Day
Ask your Principal for morning announcement time to talk about Plastic Free Lunch Day.
Go classroom to classroom to explain the campaign to other students.
Present about Plastic Free Lunch Day to your PA/PTA.
Have a social media challenge, with students/staff submitting photos and videos of their plastic reduction.
use the hashtag #plasticfreelunchday
Encourage everyone to take part
Encourage students & staff to bring their own bottles & safe reusable cutlery – a raffle or prize can be a good incentive!
Ask families to use reusable containers, paper bags, or aluminum foil instead of plastic baggies in home lunches.
Lead a "Take Only What You Need" campaign - dispense utensils, napkins, and other single-use items by request only instead of automatically serving with each meal.
Learn more about plastic waste
Designate a few students/staff each lunch period to perform a Plastic Waste Audit.
Host a screening of Cafeteria Culture’s Microplastic Madness!
Thanks to our partners Cafeteria Culture, the NYC Public Schools Office of Food & Nutrition Services, and the Urban School Food Alliance! Learn more at PlasticFreeLunch.org.