Plastic Wrap is Out, Beeswax Wrap is What it’s All About!

Using plastic wrap to keep your sandwich fresh for a couple of hours, or to cover a bowl overnight may not seem outrageous—but when you consider that those few hours of use are followed by an eternity in the landfill, or worse, drifting through our treasured landscapes, the cost-benefit analysis doesn’t look so good. Despite this reality, plastic wrap has remained an unfortunate staple in almost every kitchen, and continues to contribute to the roughly 300 million tons of plastic waste generated each year. Unfortunately, as with so many detriments to our environment, these products are frustratingly convenient, and few eco-friendly alternatives that can serve the exact same function have presented themselves. That is...until now!

We can now leave these incredibly wasteful plastic wraps behind, and usher in the new era of “beeswax wraps”! These beautifully simple creations serve the same function as plastic wraps but are reusable, and consist of as little as a piece of cotton fabric and beeswax. In its simplest form, a beeswax wrap is a cloth that has been imbued with melted beeswax and then allowed to cool. Doing so allows this exciting new kitchen staple to emulate the convenience and efficacy of plastic wrap in two main ways: the piece of cloth is now air and water tight, thanks to the beeswax (thank you honey bees!), and is rigid and tacky (to the touch, not the eyes) enough to “cling” and mold to whatever it needs to. Your sandwich can now stay fresh and that half an onion in your fridge can stay covered without sending another piece of forever-trash to our constantly growing landfills.

Lucky for us, these earth-friendly wraps are available for purchase all over the internet, and are showing up in many stores. Several local, Asheville shops carry them (see below).  Even more exciting—they’re easy to make at home! All you need is an oven, some cloth, and some beeswax pellets known as pastilles. Some recipes include other naturally derived ingredients like jojoba oil. Check out the DIY link below for one of many excellent blog entries detailing ways to make your own wraps. In order to make beeswax wraps as low-impact as possible, try getting wax from a local beekeeper, or local craft shop, and find your cloth material at a clothing consignment store!

With beeswax wraps in your arsenal of reusables, minding your plastic this month will be all the easier!


DIY Beeswax Wraps (also includes a beeless vegan recipe):

https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/the-complete-guide-to-diy-beeswax-wraps-including-a-beeless-vegan-food-wrap

Where to Buy Beeswax Wraps Around Asheville:
Lick Log Branch Apiaries in Fairview - You can find owner Ricky Manning selling his homemade beeswax wraps at local tailgate markets

The Asheville Bee Charmer at 38 Battery Park Ave, Asheville, NC 28801

Villagers at 278 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC 28806

If online shopping is your forte, check out one of the pioneering beeswax wrap manufacturer’s (who clearly snagged the best name): Bee’s Wrap based out of Vermont


*Have an allergy to beeswax? Fortunately, there are non-beeswax alternatives. This website that’s listed above has a DIY recipe for making your own non-beeswax wraps: https://blog.mountainroseherbs.com/the-complete-guide-to-diy-beeswax-wraps-including-a-beeless-vegan-food-wrap. There are also reusable silicone bowl covers that stretch to different sizes, silicone sandwich bags and waterproof cloth sandwich bags. You can find these online or locally at shops like The Littlest Birds in West Asheville.

Peter Menzies
Asheville GreenWorks
Urban Habitats Education Coordinator
​AmeriCorps Project Conserve Member

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