Plastic-free lunchboxes and how to do them right
Packing a school lunch can be a hard task. It needs to be nutritious and full of food that you know your kids will eat. It also needs to be big enough to give them fuel to learn and play, but it can't be so big that they end up throwing away the majority of the contents.
Another thing that you need to be wary of is the amount of plastic that is involved. Plastic is everywhere - it is in our oceans and forests, but it doesn't need to be in our children's school lunchboxes. Follow these easy tips to ensure that you provide a plastic-free nude lunchbox for your children.
Eliminate plastic at the source
It is easy to think that by just eliminating the plastic that is in your child's lunchbox you are providing a plastic-free lunch. But what did the ingredients come in? You can eliminate the packaging from the start by taking your own canvas bags to the supermarket or market to put your veggies and fruit in. You could also take a canvas bag to the bakery to buy fresh bread without the plastic packaging.
Say no to plastic wrap
There are many natural alternatives to plastic wrap, and none better than using beeswax wraps. You can use them again and again, they are easy to wash and come in many great patterns. You can wrap sandwiches, fruit, leftovers and basically anything that you need to put in your child's school lunch.
Provide a reusable water bottle
Buy a good quality water bottle, help your child to decorate it with stickers and you can bet that they will love it. Food isn't the only important thing in your child's lunch. Proper hydration, especially in the hotter months, is crucial to ensure your child stays focused at school. And not only this, you will install a life long habit of carrying a water bottle, and therefore eliminate plastic water bottles, one of the biggest avoidable waste products.
By providing a plastic-free lunch box you will not only help eliminate the amount of plastic that we currently consume, but will also set an example for future generations.
6 ideas to make your next children's birthday party eco-friendly
Generally, birthday parties aren't very eco-friendly. We often just pop to the closest party shop and purchase all manner of single-use plastic items that will get binned in the aftermath. This list can help you save a bit of money as well as throwing a far more eco-friendly party for your little one.
1. Reusable decorations
By purchasing or even making your own decorations that can be reused year after year, you can massively minimise the amount of rubbish leftover from your party. It is easy to make your own bunting from scrap fabric, as well as searching for other materials to make party hats and banners. We all have countless bits of cardboard, paper and material around the house, so they may as well go to good use.
2. Eco-friendly party favours
Instead of filling a plastic disposable bag with sweets, small toys and other items that will either get left behind or thrown away, try using fabric bags and put in some useful, harder wearing items. Perhaps pop in some homemade wrapped sweets or chocolates along with note pads, pencils and perhaps some little craft kits.
3. Bake your own cake
Cake baking isn't as tricky as it seems and you can save a good deal of money whilst avoiding buying a premade plastic-wrapped cake from the supermarket. Who knows, you might discover a new skill!
4. Minimise waste
Try to avoid items like plastic table cloths, straws, plastic cups and plates (instead use paper or wood), and gather up any bits of rubbish at the end to ensure they are properly disposed of.
5. Venue
Instead of choosing a large venue that everyone has to drive their kiddies to, use your garden or a local park for a lovely outdoorsy party. This is also a great way to introduce children to nature and the idea of being eco-friendly, without making their party boring.
6. Gifts
We are all guilty of purchasing toys for children that are made of plastic, come in copious amounts of packaging and will be ignored in a few days. Ask the other parents if they can bring toys that are made from reusable or recyclable materials such as wooden or fabric toys and puzzles.
2019: the year Australia moved away from plastic
There are few materials that pose such a threat to the environment as plastic. Not only is plastic regularly dropped as litter, but animals can mistake plastic for food (particularly marine animals). Unfortunately, plastic can take tens, or even hundreds, of years to decompose. Until decomposition occurs, plastic continues to accumulate, creating landfill. Some of the biggest contributors to the problem of excess plastic are single-use carrier bags, which is why it's great news that by the end of 2019, single-use carrier bags will be phased out across another Australian state, Victoria!
The bag ban that's saving the environment
Single-use carrier bags have long been recognised as a damaging source of plastic which most people can live without quite easily. The Tasmanian town of Coles led the way in banning plastic bags way back in 2003. In 2008, South Australia implemented a state-wide plastic bag ban as part of its "Zero Waste" policy. Other states followed suit, until by the end of 2018 only New South Wales and Victoria still permitted plastic bags. Reduction in bag use was given a welcome boost towards the end of 2018 when Australia's two largest supermarkets (Woolworths and Coles) introduced a complete ban on single-use bags in their stores. With more retailers set to follow their good example, it looks as if Australians can look forward to a future free from plastic bags, at least when it comes to single-use bags. Currently, the only state which still hasn't banned plastic bags is NSW.
The private sector is leading the way when it comes to plastic-free!
Now that Woolworths and Coles have banned the bag, it's likely that most other retailers will do the same thing.
Make 2019 the year to go plastic-free! As consumer pressure increases, it's likely that producers will start looking at ways to reduce the amount of plastic packaging that goods are packed in prior to sale. Because the private sector is driven by consumer demand, they are able to work quickly and proactively to provide the more environmentally-friendly options that Australians want.
We can all do with going plastic-free
Now bags are banned, it's time to start looking at other ways in which single-use plastic is commonly used. Consumers can do their bit by taking reusable bags with them when they shop and opting for goods which aren't pre-packed where there is a choice. Making conscious decisions to find alternatives to plastic in our everyday lives can really make a difference to the health of the planet.
Plenty of eco-friendly, plastic-free bag and food wrapping options
Opting for reusable shopping bags is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to reducing plastic use. Cling film, a popular food wrapping, can be easily replaced with cloth wraps or simply dispensed with altogether. With so many differently shaped containers on the market, most food can be transported or stored in a reusable container, without the need for any wrapping at all. Check out our great selection of Bee Wrappy Beeswax Wraps, here at Bees Wrap, today.
How to use your Bee Wrappy when you're camping
We are sure we're not alone in our love for all things outdoors, bush, beach and camping. Australia offers the most stunning and picturesque natural beauty just waiting to be discovered through eco tourism - there is a plethora of choices when it comes to bushwalks, camping spots and new adventures, right on our doorstep.
Bee Wrappy is proud of helping people reduce their single-use plastic consumption by providing a beautiful, natural alternative to cling-wrap. While Bee Wrappys fit right at home in your kitchen and fridge, they can also be a vertsile addition to your bush walking and camping essentials, working a treat AND reducing your environmental impact.
- Using Bee Wrappys to store snacks (like nuts, crackers and cheese) and fruit and vegetables when camping or bush walking helps to reduce your waste impact as you won't need to dispose of cling-wrap into the local area you are visiting. Instead, you can store wash, rinse and dry your Bee Wrappy, fold it up and it's ready to use again.
- Folding down your Bee Wrappy after use will also help you save space in your backpack when out and about. They are also very light weight!
- You can also repurpose your Bee Wrappy when it's not storing food by using it as a picnic or camping placement. They are super easy to wipe down at the end of a meal or snack.
- We've had many customers purchase a Bee Wrappys to act as dedicated hard soap bar packaging. Great idea!
- If you find yourself without a fire starter, you can instead use a Bee Wrappy. Simply take a dry wrap, twist into a long coil shape and light.
We love knowing that Bee Wrappys are out there, working hard beyond the kitchen, and having a direct positive impact on the environment and natural earth.
Will my wraps melt in the heat?
We often get asked if our Bee Wrappy wraps will melt in particularly hot or humid locations like Darwin or Cairns.
This is a good question, and because we don't want our friends in tropical climates missing out, here's what we can tell you -
No matter where you live Bee Wrappys should avoid direct sunlight. They will almost certainly always melt in to a very sticky and messy wrap if exposed to extended time in direct sunlight. So it's best to keep them off sunny car seats (unless in a lunchbox and cooler bag) and out of the beaming sun on the beach or in a park.
Along with direct sunlight when out and about, being aware of the sun's position in your kitchen will also be important to ensure the longevity of your Bee Wrappy wraps. Tuck your wraps out of direct morning or afternoon sun in your tea towel draw or alongside your fruit bowl. This will keep them cool and happy.
Our Bee Wrappy wraps handle all other hot and humid locations like Cairns and Darwin with flying colours. You can expect them to be soft, pliable and perform as intended, but they will not melt!
