Thursday 11 January 2018

Not Such Venerable Beads

In the middle of all the news this week about Cabinet reshuffles, and Princess Charlotte's Nursery, you may have missed one really encouraging report-  The manufacture of Plastic Microbeads and their use in cosmetics and 'personal care products' is now banned in the UK. They won't disappear completely from our shelves for a few months- but it is a great start. More information here and a brief video here.
You may remember that back in June, I made some beeswax foodwraps.
The aim was to reduce the amount of clingfilm which I use and then discard.
They are still in regular use, although I think it's probably time to re-wax some of them, as there are fold lines developing and the wax coating is wearing thin there.
Here are four things from my fridge currently benefitting from the beewraps;
Half a butternut squash, and half a grapefruit - the cut sides covered with wraps, a bowl of food and a block of cheddar.
I have to say that they are excellent for wrapping sandwiches neatly. I was using them all the time I was teaching last term. In my lunch hour, I'd unwrap the cloth on my desk as a makeshift plate, with the stack of sarnies on it - and eat them, held in my left hand, whilst I marked books with the pen held in my right. Then I'd shake the crumbs into the bin, and fold up the wrap and put it back in my briefcase. All very efficient. Similarly, I'd my lunchtime orange and put the peel onto the wrap, so that it could be packed up and returned to my kitchen at home, to go in the food waste bin.
I have plenty of beeswax- so when I get a spare afternoon [!] maybe I should make a few more of these useful little wraps. Much better for the planet than more plastic, whether in the form of clingfilm or microbeads,.


5 comments:

  1. How do you think of such clever post titles!!I caught that bit of good news and thought The WI campaign to focus on plastic soup pollution is working before it's even got started :-)

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  2. Really interested to hear this, I was wondering just the other day how they had worked out. I have lots of beeswax so I'm going to have a go. Just a word of warning for your readers - beeswax is highly flammable, so never ever be tempted to heat it over an open flame, always do it on an electric hob or electric oven, and never leave it unattended.

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  3. This is excellent news! I'm v glad to hear it! I won the Eco-staff member award at School last week for my dogged attempts to make our staff recycle and for taking it all home on the train and for promoting it to our kids but I want the food companies to find an alternative to those plastic trays ready meals and fruit come in and for disposable drinks for kids to be rethought as some of ours have a new Fruitshoot every day.
    Would you consider selling some of your waxed covers? I would gladly buy a few from you! I don't use Cling film v often as I usually just put sarnies in a box (if I ever make them...) but sometimes Chris wants to cover up cheese or sandwich meat or something but he refuses to let me have a BOX for cheese in the fridge!

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    Replies
    1. Athene, thanks for your wise words of warning about wax. You live up to your name!

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