Clingfilm’s negative impact on the planet is about as thinly veiled as the food it seals. Looking for eco-friendly alternatives to clingfilm? We’ve got you (and your food) covered.
Clingfilm: A brief history
Clingfilm was invented in the 1930s when a lab worker struggled to remove a piece of film inside a leftover vial. Realising that it was clingy and impervious to air and water pressure, Ralph Wiley, our accidental inventor, suggested using it to protect automobiles from wind pressure and salty ocean waves.
90 years later, we’re back to square one. Only this time, instead of a vial, we’re struggling to remove it from the planet.
Clingfilm may not be affected by ocean water or the atmosphere around it, but the same can’t be said for the reverse.
So, is clingfilm bad for the environment?
“Much of the hundreds of millions of tons of plastic waste in our oceans is made up of microplastics.” – The Conversation.
Clingfilm may protect food and preserve meals, but it doesn’t protect the planet or preserve natural resources. Quite the opposite, in fact. In America, it’s called Saran wrap. Swap the “r” for a “t”, and that pretty much sums up its impact on the environment.
Clingy by name and by nature, clingfilm can take hundreds of years to decompose. And when it does eventually break down, it turns into microplastics, which leach harmful chemicals into our groundwater, our oceans, and endangers the world’s wildlife. Is it really any wonder we’re pretty enthusiastic about finding alternatives to clingfilm?
Is foil a better alternative to clingfilm?
Thanks to this blog, clingfilm’s plans to destroy our planet are about to be foiled. Speaking of which, don’t even get us started on foil.
As an alternative to clingfilm, foil isn’t a much better solution for the environment. Why? Because the production of tin foil requires a heck of a lot of energy and heat. According to Science Focus, aluminium mining causes six times more water pollution and three times more greenhouse gas emissions than clingfilm!
Practically speaking, tin foil can replace clingfilm in many scenarios, from wrapping your sarnies to preserving your refrigerated leftovers. However, if you’re looking to do these things without having a negative impact on the planet, you should an eco-friendly alternative, like beeswax or reusable containers.
If you use foil in the oven but want to reduce your environmental footprint, you could use oven-safe, lidded dishes like crockpots and roasting dishes instead. You can also try reusable baking sheets and non-stick tray liners, which are available at many eco-friendly homeware stores.
Single-use packaging may as well be called no-use packaging. However, reusable cookware reduces waste, the need for new materials, and our reliance on landfills.
Does clingfilm leach into food?
Studies suggest that “most plastic items release a tiny amount of chemicals into the beverages or food they contain.” This is known as ‘leaching.’ Just like plastic bottles and takeaway containers, this happens with clingfilm, too. One study from the University of Arizona claims that plasticisers in clingfilm can be released from the material “with time, use, and under certain conditions.”
Fresh and smooth for a time, then turning clingy and toxic, clingfilm is basically the ex-boyfriend of food preservation.
Leaching is one of the many reasons our milkround avoids pointless single-use plastic, alongside its impact on the planet, emissions, waste of natural resources, wildlife, and marine pollution… okay, we have plenty of reasons for avoiding pointless single-use plastic.
Related Reading: Sustainable Packaging Types and Key Definitions
Alternatives to clingfilm
As great as it is at preserving food and keeping things fresher for longer, clingfilm is made of single-use plastic. AKA our green milkround’s sworn nemesis. Our doorstep milk delivery doesn’t come in return and reuse packaging just because it tastes nicer. Glass bottles are also better for the planet, as proven by our Life Cycle Analysis!
Here are some eco-friendly clingfilm alternatives you can use to preserve, freeze, refrigerate and tightly protect your grub:
Use a bowl and cover with a plate: You know, the old-fashioned way!
Use a plate and cover with a bowl: Ah, the ol’ switcheroo.
Ceramic crockery: Fancy and more eco-friendly. Now we’re talking.
Glass: Only real legends use glass instead of plastic, right?
Reusable silicone containers: Silicone isn’t always the most eco-friendly choice, but reusables are certainly a more sustainable option to single-use clingfilm. Speaking of which, have you seen our reusable silicone bottle tops?
Tupperware: Albeit plastic, the lunchbox is a classic for a reason. Tupperware is air-tight, microwaveable, freezable, and most importantly, reusable!
Beeswax: Waterproof, antibacterial and biodegradable, beeswax wraps are a fantastic natural alternative to clingfilm. AND, they’ll finally give you a retort to fire back at your dad next time he says something is “none of your beeswax”. Buzzing!
What alternatives to clingfilm can be used in the microwave?
Not foil! If you take anything from this blog today, let it be that. A good place to start would be reusable tupperware or covering it with a microwaveable side plate.
What did people use before plastic wrap?
Ever noticed the distinct absence of clingfilm on cave wall drawings and history books? People ate food long before plastic wrap was invented, and it’s no coincidence that the rise of global warming has coincided with the rise of plastic.
The only thing cutting edge about clingfilm is the jagged strip in the box. And let’s be honest, that never works either. It’s about as sharp as Derek Zoolander or the robbers in Home Alone.
Here are a few ways people preserved produce before plastic wrap was invented:
They made wraps from banana leaves and seaweed. These makeshift containers protect freshness while giving your grub an extra natural flavour boost. Wondering what else you can do with leaves? Check out our guides on how to use beet leaves, what to do with cauliflower stalks and how to grow veg from scraps.
They used glass jars. This started in the 1800s, when Napoleon Bonaparte offered 12,000 francs to anyone who could help protect and preserve his army’s food supply. The prize was awarded to Nicolas Appert, who suggested using glass jars sealed with cork and wax. We’ve waited years for this to come up in a pub quiz…
They bought less. Supermarkets have normalised bulk buying and plastic packaging. Before the days of stacked shelves and sassy self-checkout machines, people would shop little and often to keep their meals fresh and their bins empty.
Alternatives to clingfilm from Modern Milkman
Glass jars… Buying less… Making full use of their food to reduce waste… Genius, right? Now if only there was something that still offered all of this, but with the convenience of modern-day technology… That’d take some group of brainiacs…
If you’d like to fight food waste and enjoy farm-fresh produce at your door, sign up for milk delivery today!
You can receive our fresh produce delivery straight to your door up to three times a week so you never have to run out of your favourite household essentials and tasty treats again.
And that’s a wrap!
