Ditch the plastic with these 5 DIY plastic wrap alternatives. It is easy not to use or need plastic cling wrap when you have these reusable options on hand! These are also a fantastic homemade gift idea. Do your part to save the earth and save money by switching to one (or all) of these reusable plastic wrap alternatives today.

If you have school-aged kids or make your lunch for work then a lunch box with separate compartments is a must. We use this Sistema one for our girl’s school lunch and don’t wrap anything. The lunch items sit in the separate sections or in smaller containers. There are a wide variety of these bento-style lunchboxes so shop around to get the size and style that best suits your needs. These are some of our favorites:

• Bizz Travel Bento Box Set Lunch Boxes with Utensils. A leakproof lunchbox that keeps food fresh. This lunchbox also comes with a 2-year warranty.
• Sistema Bento Cube. Perfect smaller size to hold lunch or snacks. We also own this one and find it great for trips where the girls require only a small lunch or snacks.
• LunchBots Bento Cinco Large Stainless Steel Food Container. LunchBots come in a variety of different sizes and styles to suit your lunch needs. These lunch boxes have a great stainless steel base.

Alternatively, use a one compartment lunchbox and wrap food in beeswax wraps or cloth covers. You can make them by following the links below.

5 DIY Plastic Wrap Alternatives

1. Oilcloth Bowl Covers

Be prepared, once your friends discover that you have made these beauties they will all want a set. These oilcloth bowl covers are super handy. Great to cover food in a hurry for the fridge, protect food while it is out but not in use and for cover that salad on your way to a BBQ with friends. Head over to Sugar And Charm to learn how to make your own.

2. Beeswax Food Wraps

Beeswax food wraps are perfect to use in the place of plastic wrap. The only item they shouldn’t be used with is meat as they can not be cleaned under very hot water. There are plenty of different DIY beeswax food wrap instructions out there. In fact, we have shared a version using pine resin and a version with no added ingredients. This version from This Is NZ Life is our favorite version as it is made with beeswax and almond oil, they are simple to make and the added almond oil means they are easier to mold.

3. Reusable Lunch Bag

These awesome lunch bags can be used over and over again to hold all sorts of snacks. We love the long strip of velcro that has been added to hold all of the snacks in the bag. Make a set of these in various sizes to suit all of your snacking needs. Visit I Heart Naptime to read the full tutorial.

4. Fabric Food Wrap

Not everything needs to be wrapped in a beeswax wrap. The sandwich for example, when placed into a lunchbox without compartments really only needs to be wrapped in a piece of fabric. At my daughter’s kindergarten, they made fabric food wraps by simply overlocking around the edge of a piece of fabric. Over at Create And Craft, they have designed a pattern perfect for wrapping that sandwich. A big advantage of using fabric without beeswax is how easily they can be washed.

5. Buy & Use Reusables

We touched on the buy and use reusables when we covered lunchboxes but using other reusables is also a great way to cut down on plastic wrap.

• A set of food storage containers will last for a VERY long time so although it may seem expensive to buy a set of these it will pay off in the long term. When buying reusable food containers ensure that they contain no BPA, phthalates or other toxins to leach into food. 
• Save glass jars from the supermarket. Once the food is eaten and used to store a range of different foods. They are super handy and a great alternative to buying reusable containers.
• Silicone stretch lids are perfect for covering bowls. These are also awesome for covering watermelons and pumpkins that have been sliced in half!
• Tea towels and plates can be used to cover food, bowls, and plates.

You will be amazed at how easy it is to ditch the plastic wrap once you look at using alternatives! If you have any other great DIY plastic wrap alternatives please let us know by commenting below.

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