My story of beeswax wraps and bags
I am a busy mom of 6, a wife and daughter, but above all a young person, that wants the best for her family. In recent years, I think none of us can omit the fact, that our planet is heading for a disaster. We have used and abused the Earth to its dying point. Our poor planet is drowning in plastic, our oceans can no longer provide a good home for coral reefs, that are so vital for all marine life. Rainforests are vanishing and the effects of climate change are indeed a big threat to life in general. But this is not a message to bring more despair, but a message of hope. A hope, that we can pull this off together and go “back to basics” on how we do things in our daily lives.
Why beeswax wraps and bags?
For me it’s a step in the right direction, in protecting my family and caring for the planet.
Beeswax wraps are:
- environmentally
- sustainable
- natural
- reusable
- compostable
- Irish made
Beeswax wraps and bags are a great substitute to plastic wrap, aluminium foil and plastic bags. Unlike plastic, it contains no chemicals such as BPA, which is linked to causing a number of diseases and important to avoid, especially for children. It does not contribute to climate change, even when your wraps and bags reach their end of life and are ready for the compost bin. Which of course, when used correctly and with care, takes a very long time.
They are easy to use, wipe clean and reuse again. With their pretty designs, you’re also in for a treat! The regular plastic bag, takes about 500 years to degrade into the landfill, but never really breaks down completely, instead it photo-degrades into microplastics, that absorb toxins and pollute the environment.
Yes, only one single used plastic bag, will cause this much damage!
I have four school going children, and if I were to wrap their sandwich into a bag each day, that would be approximately 800 bags a year, that would stay on this earth for the next 30 generations.
It is the same with aluminium foil. It takes the same time to degrade and is even more harmful in its production. So the next time you visit your bakery, bring your beeswax wrap and skip the bags, cover your mason jars, bowls, plates with leftover dinner or put your take-away snack into a beeswax bag. It will not only leave you feeling great, but you will also reduce food waste, which is another massive issue we are facing. In Ireland alone, we generate around 1.2 million tonnes of food waste each year. This directly contributes to food shortages, biodiversity loss, water stress and increased green house gasses.There are so many reasons why to use these cleverly designed wraps and bags, of course they also save your monies, as one wrap will last about a year. You won’t have to worry about buying cling film or plastic bags ever again!
Other uses
Beeswax wraps can also be used to wrap up bouquets of flowers, if you love flowers, but not the plastic, making them look even more beautiful. If you have a furry friend, their treats will keep fresh in a beeswax bag too! Your bar soap can be wrapped in these when you travel, so you don’t have to worry about those liquids and save the plastic! You can use your small wrap made into a cone shape to pour your favourite cereal into a jar, or if your lid gets stuck, go ahead and put your wrap around it and twist away.
Zero waste
You have probably heard about the Zero waste initiative, there’s no doubt, that beeswax bags and wraps are a big part of it. If only we could bring our beeswax bags into a local refill shop we would be generating Zero waste, while supporting two local businesses in one shop, it would be an amazing change. Not only for the planet, but also for our health and our children’s future. This may seem as a small step, but looking at the amount of plastic we would bypass by doing such a simple thing, it’s isn’t really so small at all.So my hope is, that each and every one of us would take this issue to heart, and start or continue caring for ourselves, our beloved and this planet. I firmly believe, that climate change can be reverted, provided enough action is taken. One small change from one seemingly insignificant person, will have a big impact. So let’s keep fighting and adjusting to a more beautiful, natural and simple life, to provide good future and health for us all.It’s time to give back to nature and appreciate all the resources and beauty it’s been providing us with.
EK, Lovebee.ie