6 Common-Sense Cling Wrap Alternatives for the Eco-Conscious

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cling wrap alternatives

We’ve gotten things all tangled up and the wrong way round.

Our grandparents would buy a product ONCE and use it over and over.

We use a product once, throw it away and buy it over and over.

And then wonder where all our money is going.

Cling wrap is a brilliant product if you’re in the cling wrap business. Keep ‘em coming back for more is a profitable business model.

There’s no doubt it’s very convenient for us, the consumer too.

The problem is, it’s not only bad for the budget, it’s bad for the environment and possibly our health as well.

So what can we use instead? Are the cling wrap alternatives just as convenient and hassle free?

The answer is yes!

Here are six ways to reduce your reliance on plastic in the kitchen.

6 Smart Alternatives to using Plastic Wrap

1. MAKE THE MOST OF CONTAINERS

containers - alternatives to cling wrap

We have a mixture of Tupperware-like containers of various brands that we use for fridge, freezer and pantry storage. They are convenient, inexpensive, almost unbreakable, and dishwasher safe.

However, they’re still plastic, so if you would prefer to avoid plastic altogether, Pyrex or glass containers with lids or stainless steel containers or tiffins are an alternative.

To use what you already have on hand, clean milk containers, empty yoghurt containers and takeaway containers, old bread bags and frozen pea bags are the frugal alternative.

2. CROCKERY – THE OLD-FASHIONED SOLUTION

using containers instead of cling wrap

This is how our grandparents used to do it.

Stack bowls over plates, plates over bowls and baking trays over rectangular dishes.

This method of covering food – either on the bench or in the fridge – is easy and it works. It’s also stackable (something you can’t do with cling wrap).

3. BOWL COVERS – CUTE AND FUNCTIONAL

Containers are fine, but what if you want to store something in the actual serving bowl?

Bowl covers make great reusable alternatives to plastic wrap. They’re like shower caps for bowls!

Covers are made with a cotton/canvas top and a biodegradable interior coating. They are washable by either the dishwasher, machine or hand wash.

For wrapping food, a hemp food wrap is a great alternative to cling wrap.

4. SANDWICH BAGS  FOR A WASTE-FREE LUNCH

If a child takes their lunch in a sandwich bag every day, they will throw away at least 280 sandwich bags a year. And that doesn’t include waste generated by little lunch!

My son’s sandwich goes nude to school in his lunchbox. While that certainly reduces plastic, the problem is the bread dries out pretty quickly.

The solution is a reusable lunch bag, that can be washed each night in the dishwasher.

You might also like: 8 Alternatives to Paper Towels

5. BIODEGRADABLE BAGS FOR WHEN YOU JUST NEED A ZIP-LOCK BAG

I’ve tried all the alternatives, but I always come back to zip-lock bags for freezing because they freeze flat, taking up less room in our tiny freezer.

These biodegradable bags, while not a perfect solution, are at least an environmental solution than their regular ol’ plastic counterparts.

Another alternative is to use regular zip-lock bags and use them over and over by hand washing them in hot soapy water. We don’t do this if there’s been meat stored in them, but for less messy foods, we reuse these bags over and over.

6. RECYCLED GLASS JARS – THE ULTIMATE STORAGE SOLUTION

Recycled glass jars are the ultimate frugal storage container. They’re glass, so you don’t need to worry about plastic contamination, they’re free, making them the frugal choice, they’re reusable, and they are transportable.

You can even use glass jars to store food in the freezer – we store soup and stock in recycled glass jars. Just be sure to leave some space at the top of the jar because liquid expands as it freezes, so you don’t want any exploding jars!

Hi. My name is Melissa. And it’s been over 10 years since I last used plastic wrap.

Living without glad wrap is certainly achievable, and it’s a lot less inconvenient than you might think.

Have you given up glad wrap? What are your alternate solutions?

common sense alternatives to cling wrap

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9 Comments

  1. I use old margarine, butter and ice cream containers to store alot of my products.

  2. Hi,

    Freezer bags are an issue I haven’t been able to solve. We do use ice cream containers and tupperware style containers for cooked food but not raw.

    My Mum uses shower cap style plastic covers for bowls and containers instead of glad wrap. She hasn’t bought plastic wrap for years! I think you could make these with the fused plastic cut into a circle and add an elastic edge… these would be great!

    Also what about a drawstring bag made from the fused plastic bags (saw the fused plastic in your earlier post and on BH&G once)

    If you use the plastic from a clip-lock bags or vacume seal plastic for the inside layer is must be food safe.

    BTW… I love your blog!

    1. Hi Maree,

      Awesome idea about the shower cap style plastic covers! Thanks for that. Great hearing from you.

  3. Hi Bec, I’ve been using more containers – they’re great. If the containers hold more than one portion, I separate the meat with sheets of baking paper. The trick for me is trying to fit it all into our tiny freezer.

  4. The only time I use glad wrap is to wrap over-ripe bananas for freezing. I peel the bananas (so they don’t go black), dice them and then wrap them before freezing them. We use them in smoothies or cooking.
    What can you suggest I wrap my bananas in instead of the glad wrap?
    Thanks

    1. Melissa Goodwin says:

      I just throw them in the freezer. The skins go black, but that doesn’t affect the actual banana. At our tuckshop, we cut them in half first and put them in a container, skin on. When making a smoothy we let them defrost a little and then just squeeze the banana right out of the skin! Super easy. I’m going to do that at home from now on. Otherwise, I either let them defrost or peel them frozen with a knife. Hope this helps.

    2. Honestly freeze them in their skin in an airtight container! The skin goes black but ive never had a problem with the fruit inside… in saying that though I only use them for cooking so I’m not sure if that will help or not

  5. Your article mentions hemp food wraps (“For wrapping food, a hemp food wrap is a great alternative to cling wrap.”) But the link doesn’t go to a page that has hemp food wraps.

    1. Melissa Goodwin says:

      Thanks. I will check the link.