Green December Day 4 - Plastic Wrap

I’ve stopped using… Plastic wrap

Plastic wrap was one of the harder things to get rid of because it was so convenient to have and generally something hard to find a replacement for. But this was something I eventually did with the purchase of a few more reusable containers and DIY bees wraps.

I think it was a few years ago when I first saw bees wax food wraps around stores but they were so damn expensive so last year, I organized a little bees-wrap party and had a fun DIY night. With way more material than I personally needed, it worked out great with 4-5 people able to also make a full set of 3-4 different sizes. It took a little mastering to get the proportions right, but once we go the hang of it, a year later, my wraps are still holding up great. The reason why they work is due to the slight stickiness they retain while being malleable with the warmth of your hands and re-hardening once it is cold.

Here’s what you need:

• 100% cotton fabric

• Beeswax pellets

• Pine resin (I use powdered but can’t for the life of me remember where I got mine. You can also get it on Amazon for a larger quantity)

• Old cookie tray

• Silicone basting brush

• Oven

• Scissors

• Bobby pins or clothes pins

Here’s how you do it:

1. Turn your oven on to 185F.

2. Cut your fabric to your desired shape and size ensuring that there is no fraying.

3. Lightly and evenly lay your tray with some beeswax pellets and a light powdering of the pine resin.

4. Place your cotton fabric on top and layer on the same even beeswax pellet and pine resin.

5. Pop in the oven and keep an eye on it until the pellets are completely melted.

6. While it’s still hot, use the brush to evenly spread the wax over areas that were not covered in wax. Be careful because once it starts to harden (which can happen very quickly), things will start to get clumpy.

7. Once the cotton has an even layer of wax and resin, use your bobby pin or clothes pin to lift one side to drip and dry.

You might need to try a couple trials to get just the right ratio of beeswax and resin so try using some scraps first. If your wrap gets crumbly once you bend it, that means you either have too much wax or too little resin. Be mindful that once the wax dries, it becomes very difficult to get off without re-melting. Sometimes you may have to clean the tray of previous layers of wax if it starts getting clumpy.

Care instructions:

• Wipe with cool water and a cloth to clean

• Leave out to dry

• Re-melt in 185F oven if too much cracking from use occurs

• Dispose of in the green bin if necessary

Why

Well, this one is pretty obvious. Plastic wrap is not recyclable because of the high probability of food contamination. There’s not much else to comment on this besides the fact that re-usable containers and beeswax wraps are an easy alternative that saves the landfills of this thin plastic.