Cling film is one of those horrible and problematic plastics that is designed for single use and very difficult to recycle. It takes roughly 2 years for cling film to decompose, even though this is considerably less than many other plastics, it is still contributing a large problem.
More than 1.2 billion metres, equating to 745,000 miles of cling film is used by households across Britain every year – enough to go around the circumference of the world 30 times over!!
“Plastic wrap contributes to the larger plastic pollution crisis, it’s difficult to recycle, and it’s made from potentially harmful chemicals, especially as they break down in the environment.”
THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
Clingfilm was undoubtedly a clever invention that served a purpose at the time of its creation. However, the problem that it causes in it’s contribution towards plastic pollution and the toxicity of the chemicals released into the environment as it breaks down means it’s really something we do need to move away from and find alternative options that are less harmful to our environment.
Can we survive without clingfilm? You bet we can!
Three things you can do to be part of the solution:
1. Switch from plastic wrap to a reusable wax wrap.
2. Store leftovers in glass containers.
3. Cover foods with aluminum foil instead of plastic wrap.
If you need something that functions like a clingfilm then beeswax wraps are the alternative I recommend.
I first tried beeswax wraps when they were on offer on my Sweatcoins app where I could buy them with my sweatcoins… to find out more about this app go to my blog post here Do you know about Sweatcoins? 👣🚶🏃🏼♀️
The offer was with a company called www.thegreencompany.online no other reason did I use this company for my first try at beeswax wraps than that I could use my sweatcoins and not my own money to try these out! I got a 3 pack – small, medium, large.
And, I was pleaseantly surprised at how well these work! I use them to wrap up my blocks of cheese in the fridge, left overs in a bowl or a pan. They seem to cling well to any material and to itself, meaning you can wrap it up into any shape, even folding it into an envelope style to hold things securely, once it’s stuck it’s stays stuck until you lift it off!
How to care for your beeswax wraps
Cleaning: cleaning the wraps is important as they are reusable. Simply wash in cool water with washing up soap and scrub gently until clean. Don’t use hot water to prevent melting the wraps. For a deeper clean you can use antibacterial soap too. Once clean hang out to dry… I lay mine over my dish drying rack and then reuse and reuse!
Refreshing the wraps: over time your wraps will eventually, naturally begin to fade, and the beeswax can begin to crack. It is normal for this to happen and there is a simple solution; place your wraps on a piece of baking paper on a tray and heat in the oven for 3 minutes at approximately 100 degrees Celsius. This will smooth out the wax and make it stickier again (this won’t need to be done often as it will begin to crack only after a long period of time)
You can also buy refresher blocks from the website to recoat the wraps using the same method to get the wraps lasting even longer but they do last for years!
There are many brands of beeswax wraps, but these ones from http://www.thegreencompany.online are the only ones I have first hand experience with. If you do wish to purchase from this website use the code 20percent for 20% off your order. They also post worldwide 👍🏻
I have another pack on order as sweatcoins had an offer on again!
I hope you found this recommendation helpful.
Plenty more coming soon.
Lotsa love Dee! xXx
Earth Fixers 💚🌎 