I never knew how much single-use plastic I had in my fridge until I started using . Made with听sheets of organic cotton听coated听in a thin layer of beeswax, jojoba oil, and tree resin, it鈥檚听designed to store half-eaten food. Items like bell peppers, avocados, and partially used cans of black beans, which I used to shove in plastic baggies or shroud in plastic wrap, I听now听cover with reusable Bee鈥檚 Wrap.
The wraps come in a variety of sizes听that can cover everything from half an apple to a听baguette. There鈥檚 also a collection with button and string closures designed for packing a sandwich.听The tacky coating softens under the heat of your hands, so you can form it around your food, then hardens in seconds to hold its shape. It also cleans off easily with the wipe of a sponge.
Just be careful听when cleaning them: use only cold water. I made the mistake of scrubbing a sheet too hard in hot water and the beeswax coating began to disintegrate. For this reason, I don鈥檛 use the wraps听for raw meat or other听extra-messy foods.听Still, since I began using听them for produce, cheese, and lunchtime sandwiches, they鈥檝e put a massive dent in my single-use plastic consumption. I鈥檝e even brought some camping听to cover听bowls of leftover dinner.
A set of three (two small, one large) costs $18, and a variety pack (two small, two medium, two large, one bread-loaf size) costs $42. This is significant compared to a roll of plastic wrap听but undoubtedly comes out cheaper when you consider how many times you鈥檒l use each piece over the course of a year. The company says that each wrap lasts up to a year with regular use. When they听start听to wear out, cut them up and stick them in the compost bin, where they鈥檒l degrade naturally.
Frequently, making the sustainable, environmentally friendly choice is either expensive or time-consuming. Bee鈥檚 Wrap听is听neither, so it鈥檚 a no-brainer.