Litterless lunches (and dinners, and breakfasts for the work day) became less fun when for work I started bussing to distant locations, and our team had only a little shared space to store personal belongings. Particularly in wintertime, I started to resent the thick, bulky lunch containers in my backpack and was eager to look for ways to cut corners, and aluminum foil was looking really appealing. (Bad Melody).
When my backpack tore after only a few months I started a more serious search for alternatives to bulky containers. Rubbery collapsible containers were a step in the right direction, but the thing that has revolutionized my lunches the most has probably been beeswax food wraps.
When my backpack tore after only a few months I started a more serious search for alternatives to bulky containers. Rubbery collapsible containers were a step in the right direction, but the thing that has revolutionized my lunches the most has probably been beeswax food wraps.
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| etee beeswax food wraps. While this particular brand's colours of choice are not my favourite, they come in three convenient sizes that are easy to distinguish on the run. |
I ordered this blue and green set from etee, a Canada-based company that has become quite popular. (Note to Canadian shoppers: online prices at the time of my purchase at lease are in USD). It actually works very well!
Making changes in daily activities can feel a little bumpy until you're used to it, so here are a few tips for getting started:
- It is easiest to clean with a clear sink. If you're living somewhere where the sink isn't typically clear, a salad bowl with cool soapy water can easily do the trick.
- After being used a lot, the dark blue one does kind of look like like garbage, or stone-washed denim if you want to be optimistic. Someone accidentally threw mine out. Tip: do inform others you live with that it's not garbage, or if the look bothers you simply order pale-coloured wraps, such as the ones sold by abeego. Personally I do like the colour of the abeego wraps in the long term because you can't see the creases as much, but the etee ones are cut to very nice sizes.
- You can't put hot foods in it. (It is wax, it will melt. In cases for hot food, opt for a reusable sandwich baggie or simple reusable container.)
Nevertheless, it is reusable, biodegradable, breathable, and convenient.
While of course it does need to be cleaned which takes a bit of effort, personally I think it feels nicer than aluminum foil, and is less messy than cling wrap. And even without that, it definitely feels better in the long run to be using.
A quotation from an unknkown source said of plastic and packaging, "we make products that last forever for minutes of use." On the other hand, beeswax food wraps are biodegradable. This way, when it comes time to replace them it will be recycled by the earth.
While virtually every piece of plastic ever made still exists, it is better late than never to stop using plastic wrap in its tracks. This prevent more plastic from ending up harming albatrosses, turtles, and other sea creatures, and pave the way for greener day-to-day habits.
Making changes in daily activities can feel a little bumpy until you're used to it, so here are a few tips for getting started:
- It is easiest to clean with a clear sink. If you're living somewhere where the sink isn't typically clear, a salad bowl with cool soapy water can easily do the trick.
- After being used a lot, the dark blue one does kind of look like like garbage, or stone-washed denim if you want to be optimistic. Someone accidentally threw mine out. Tip: do inform others you live with that it's not garbage, or if the look bothers you simply order pale-coloured wraps, such as the ones sold by abeego. Personally I do like the colour of the abeego wraps in the long term because you can't see the creases as much, but the etee ones are cut to very nice sizes.
- You can't put hot foods in it. (It is wax, it will melt. In cases for hot food, opt for a reusable sandwich baggie or simple reusable container.)
Nevertheless, it is reusable, biodegradable, breathable, and convenient.
While of course it does need to be cleaned which takes a bit of effort, personally I think it feels nicer than aluminum foil, and is less messy than cling wrap. And even without that, it definitely feels better in the long run to be using.
A quotation from an unknkown source said of plastic and packaging, "we make products that last forever for minutes of use." On the other hand, beeswax food wraps are biodegradable. This way, when it comes time to replace them it will be recycled by the earth.
While virtually every piece of plastic ever made still exists, it is better late than never to stop using plastic wrap in its tracks. This prevent more plastic from ending up harming albatrosses, turtles, and other sea creatures, and pave the way for greener day-to-day habits.
Re-published 2019-03-13