DAY 16 – 12 March 2020
Let’s face it, plastic has become so commonplace because it’s amazing! It’s light, flexible, strong and, above all, cheap! Cling film is no exception. There’s really nothing else that can do the job in the same way. But does that mean we can’t live without it? Does that mean we have to go on using it once and then throwing it away where it will linger for hundreds of years posing a hazard to countless forms of life? I think you know my answer to that by now.
Buck the trend. According to industry predictions, cling film is still a good investment, as sales look set to increase significantly in the next ten years. There will be different factors influencing this, but I’m sure enough will be made to more than meet demand. This is where we little people can make a difference. Make sure the demand doesn’t come from you! Make sure you tell everyone possible how they can reduce their use of cling film and other plastics
So how do we avoid using cling film? It must be possible to do without it, since it’s only been around for 50 years. There are only two main things we use it for and there are perfectly good alternatives available these days:
Covering plates and bowls of uneaten food. Instead of using cling film and throwing it away as soon as you uncover the food, either you can transfer the food into one of your old plastic containers (we have loads of old containers of ice-cream, yoghurt, take-aways etc), or cover it in a resuable beeswax wrap. These are available from an increasing number of ethical retailers, but you can easily make them yourself from old fabric and beeswax. Here is one way: https://mommypotamus.com/diy-reusable-food-wrap/ It’s not as airtight as clingfilm, but that’s not normally essential. It will become worn after a while, but can be remade, with the addition of a little more wax.
Wrapping sandwiches and cakes. Like people did in the good old days, you could use old cake or biscuit tins. These will keep your packed lunch fresh for a few hours. Nowadays plastic tubs or purpose made plastic sandwich boxes do an even better job of holding in moisture and freshness (I know they’re plastic but at least you can use them again and again).
There’s cling film on the starboard bow – scrape it off, Jim!
Carbon Cutout 