Airtight plastic or glass containers with tight-fitting lids - more commonly known as Tupperware or Mason Jars - are among the most valuable items in the IPM toolbox because they’re cheap, very effective, and you don’t have to be any kind of pest control professional to use them. These familiar friends from our home pantries and refrigerators keep the smells of food in, and keep pests out. But, airtight containers don't have to stay home: Here are a few ways you can use these low-tech tools strategically to make your child’s school or childcare center a pest- and pesticide-free place:

1) Put your child’s food in an airtight container. When you send your kid(s) to school or daycare with snacks for themselves, or to share with the class, send them packed in containers with tight fitting lids rather than in bags, foil, plastic wrap.

2) Less obvious, but also very important uses for airtight containers in the classroom: encourage your child’s teacher and school to store all pet food, pet litter or bedding, and art supplies in airtight plastic bins rather than boxes, bags, or open bins or cabinets.

3) Donate pest-proof airtight containers to your child’s classroom, and explain to the teacher(s) how regular use of these containers instead of boxes or bags can help limit pest problems!

4) Get the PTA involved. Organize a Tupperware Drive through your school’s PTA or other parent groups. Ask other parents to donate plastic containers and jars in exchange for raffle tickets or another incentive. This is a great way of raising awareness about pest management and pesticide use at your school, and building support for an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. Your efforts may also turn this issue into a priority for the PTA, and you may meet parents and teachers along the way who want to form an IPM committee for the school.