eusable and sustainable alternative to plastic wrap, is leading the charge on this front. Beyond plastics finding their way into our oceans and landfills, most humans now carry it in their bloodstream. Yep, that’s right. So when you save your food by wrapping it in plastic, not only is it detrimental to our oceans but it’s also being absorbed by your body and wreaking havoc on your insides.
We stopped using plastic wrap in our kitchen and have completely replaced it with the innovative Bee’s Wax wrap, not only alleviating our use of plastics but also helping to curb our food waste. I did a very non-scientific experiment with Bee’s Wrap, and the peppers that would normally shrivel up in a couple of day’s time lasted longer and stayed fresher in their Bee’s Wax wrap than in the traditional plastic wrap. Solving two of the world’s environmental crises in one fell swoop – food waste and plastic waste!
Made from organic cotton, sustainably sourced bees wax, organic jojoba oil, and tree resin, these wraps are inherently anti-bacterial (thanks jojoba + beeswax) and designed to be washed with cool water and soap and used over and over again (up to a year!). Bee’s Wrap is serious about their initiative to curb plastic use, even down to their fully recyclable and plastic-free packaging. Once you’re ready to replace your wraps, toss them in your compost bin as they’re fully biodegradable.
Bee’s Wrap was established in 2012 in Bristol, Vermont by Sarah Kaeck whose anti-plastic purpose brought a lost tradition back into the modern world. Today, as a Green America Certified Business, it continues to be run by a growing group of women whose printing and textile practice is in accordance with the Global Organic Textile Standard.
Fun Fact: The typical American family produces more than 4,000 pieces of trash annually, just through the simple act of eating lunch on the go (according to a 2009 ECOlunchbox Lunch Box waste study), costing families hundreds of unnecessary dollars on plastic waste from single-serving portions and filling our landfills to the brim. In an effort to cut down on her children’s lunch waste – the plastic and paper baggies, disposable utensils and food wrappers – Sandra Harris developed a line of cotton lunch bags and stainless steel food containers and began selling her items at craft fairs in 2008. Today, ECOlunchboxes and snack containers can be found at several different retailers, from The Container Store and most recently Target as well as on their comprehensive website.
Their different containers and lunch boxes are perfectly sized for the proper portions and allow you to pack healthy foods (free of plastics) for yourself or your kiddos. Why stainless steel? Well, it’s non-toxic, highly durable, and free of the leaching that can occur with plastics. With a little extra planning, you can save lots of money and thousands of pieces of trash from piling up in our landfills and oceans.