3 ms·

I guess they could coat them in something else, like beeswax.

• NoZebra120vClip 3y ago
  Are you crazy! Bees don't work for free!
• kbelder 3y ago
  My wife cut up a lot of cloth sheets... linens, I think... and bathed them in a boiling mix of beeswax and a couple other waxes and oils. (I believe leather was treated similarly to build ancient armor.) Messy process, but once they dried, they actually functioned pretty well as a reusable wrap and cover. Stiff enough to hold their shape, self-adherent, it can be used like cling wrap or aluminum foil, and could be cleaned and reused dozens of times. Not sure if it is a net positive or negative for the environment, but it's at least practical.
• dragonwriter 3y ago
  > > Anything that touches food is lined to within an inch of its life with plastic. > I guess they could coat them in something else, like beeswax Beeswax is a plastic, just not a petrochemical-derived plastic.
  • MayeulC 3y ago
    I mean, it's a polymer all right, so is starch, but the point is to use something watertight but still biodegradable. Other petroleum derivatives could be used as well, but I tend to think of beeswax as proven to be food-compatible, though I am not sure if this was rigorously tested. I thought answers to my comment would rather focus on the low melting point, making it hard to use for hot beverages (though 60°C is high enough for drinks). You are right of course, but the article mentioned PLA, IIRC? Reading more on this topic, it seems that PLA is biodegradable, but only in industrial, high temperature composters?