Plastic cling wraps have proven so useful and convenient over the past half a century that we don’t think twice before ripping out a strip to wrap up our food. They seal food containers, half cut produce and dry foods very well making it convenient to both store and transport. This convenience unfortunately and unsurprisingly also comes with bad news clinging on to it.
What makes cling wraps unsafe?
Cling wraps are made of flexible plastic that is not recyclable by regular processes for multiple reasons. They are in close/direct contact with food which means they are simply not recyclable unless they are cleaned and dried up before being disposed – which I am pretty certain most of us don’t do. Even if we do, since they are too thin and not rigid they can clog up the recycling machinery itself. So in a year, over 50 million rolls worth of cling wrap pieces are dumped just in US landfills – see you in 500 years!
The type of plastics used in cling wraps contain so many processing chemicals. DEHA – a plasticizer gives the wrap its flexibility, and unfortunately gave liver tumors to lab mice. Studies have also shown that these can migrate from plastic wrap into food. The longer it remains wrapped the more chemicals and compounds leach into our food, more so with hot foods, and very soon enter our system. Similarly, cling wrap plastics also contain antioxidants which break free from the wrap and come in contact with hot/fatty foods and contaminate it.
The alternative
The good news is that there are smarter alternatives! Beeswax wraps are completely plant based (read, compostable) and can be safely used to directly cover cut fruit, cheese etc. They can be cleaned easily, and reused over and over again for many many months. Hot foods or direct heating can cause the wrap to melt – so maybe just don’t do it 😂. Beeswax wraps are just as effective as cling wraps at their job, safe, long-lived and come in cute colors and patterns!
Beeswax wraps are smarter, safer, reusable alternatives to plastic cling wraps in every way.
Remember, usually a glass/ceramic/stainless steel box with lid from your kitchen cabinet can be a working solution too!
Plant based food wraps are definitely worth the investment. You can recover the cost of these wraps compared to the equivalent amount of plastic ones needed in a few months. They may need a wee bit of very basic maintenance but that by far outweighs the health and ecological risks posed by their unsafe counterparts.
Learn more on why it’s helpful to have cling wraps handy. Reducing food waste is very much in our control and can have huge impacts on our planet.