What is single-use packaging?
Did you know that in 2018, around 600,000 tonnes of plastic packaging in Australia went unrecycled? That’s the combined weight of 3,000 blue whales -- the largest living mammals in the world. Imagine that for a second. And since plastic is notoriously indestructible, that’s over half a billion plastic packaging materials polluting the planet last year alone. This number includes single-use packaging, which is exactly what the term says it is: stuff you only use once, like plastic grocery bags, plastic takeout containers, and cling wrap.
Whether you’re conscious of it or not, you’re probably contributing to this daily, through everyday actions like taking a wrapped sandwich to work or taking out the garbage. Imagine the impact we can have on our environment if we all changed one habit.
Let’s look at the alternatives to cling wrap.
Waxy Wraps as a cling wrap alternative
What are Waxy Wraps? To put it simply, these are pure cotton fabrics coated in a beeswax blend that you can use to store and wrap food in. Suz E Bee Candle’s Waxy Wraps are made of flexible, soft pieces of cloth and pure Australian beeswax from New South Wales, and handmade by moi (Suz!). Suz E Bee Candle’s wraps also contain Jojoba Oil and Tree Resin, and are available in a range of fun, attractive colours and designs making it perfect for school lunches, wrapping different produce and covering food bowls on the dinner table.
The Beeswax Waxy Wraps come in three sizes to accommodate all kinds of food and can be bought individually or in bulk. If you want to try your hand at making your own, there’s the Waxy Wrap Kit or 300g Block of Mixture that lets you DIY as well!
There’s no secret to how you use them – in fact, it’s the same way our grandmothers and their grandmothers used to package food before plastic became such a commodity. Simply place the item on the fabric and wrap, roll or fold. The beeswax blend makes the fabric easy to manipulate and it will flex tightly to any size or shape of food, preventing spilling or oxidation.
Why switch from cling wrap to beeswax wraps?
If you’re one of Australia’s 8.42 million households that wants to reduce their footprint on the world around us, switching to Waxy Wraps is a step in the right direction. Aside from the obvious benefits to the environment, Suz E Bee Candle’s Waxy Wraps are so versatile -- you can use them as container lids, packaging for school or work lunches, covers for leftovers - basically anything you want to store for later. We just suggest not wrapping your raw meat or fish for safe handling practices.
Waxy Wraps will last for up to 12 months with proper care and handling, saving you money at the same time as the environment! Just make sure to wash them with cold water and mild detergents or soaps after use and hang them to air-dry. Avoid using harsh chemicals like bleach or cleaning sprays, and don’t put them in the dishwasher. Never scrub or rub them together when cleaning; this way you prolong your wraps’ longevity.
Because they are affordable and each one handmade, Waxy Wraps make great gifts. Pick up the Waxy Wrap Starter Pack for yourself and your Secret Santa present, and give the gift of a cleaner, greener world.