Beeswax trumps plastic for Fredericton entrepreneur

Jillian Brown is replacing plastic bags and wraps in her home with a product she hopes will generate a little more buzz. She is creating and selling reusable, washable beeswax cloths to cover food instead of plastic wraps and bags.

• Many Canadians are recycling wrong, and it's costing us millions
• Recycle NB wants to spread the word about e-waste

"They're a lot better than using the things that you throw out," she told Shift N.B. "It does replace Saran wrap so I use them a lot for covering bowls, or for an avocado for instance."

Her business, Jillibee's Wax Wraps, takes fabrics made with 100 per cent cotton from a store in Fredericton and coats them with beeswax from a nearby farmer.

Although the wraps may be stiff at first, Brown said the heat from your hands will help mould the waxy covering around the food or container you're using.

She says the wraps can last up to a year, but their lifespan depends on how well they're taken care of and how often they're used.

"They're super simple to keep clean, you just have to hand wash it with colder water and some really gentle dish soap and you lay it flat to dry," she said.

The wraps come in all sorts of patterns, she said, depending on whatever funky fabrics she can get her hands on.

In a Facebook message, Brown said the wraps are "a little more expensive upfront" than their plastic counterparts, but their life span is much longer than typical single-use plastics.

"Over time I find it has saved me money, because it also makes my food last longer, which results in less food waste as well," she said.

"This has definitely made me realize how much of an impact I have made just by switching to reusable items as opposed to plastic. … I think that by encouraging people to be more conscious of their decisions to use reusable wraps and reusable bags, that we can all help save our planet one step at a time."