Going plastic-free for a restaurant can seem like a daunting process. Many restaurants don't know where to start and don't have the time to research options. Other restaurants, like Michelin-starred Amass in Copenhagen, are giving the example in small steps. 

A message published on the restaurant's Instagram account read "Last roll of cling film. Ever." This is another step by chef Matt Orlando and his 20-person staff trying to turn the restaurant into a zero-waste place since 2013. 

“Zero waste is talked about a lot, but 90 percent of it is all talk and no show. I didn’t want to be that restaurant,” said Orlando in an interview to Skift Table in 2018. 

Cling film has been slowly abandoned in restaurants, although that has been a hard habit to ditch – a small roll is still in use.

Why? In many restaurants, everything gets covered in cling film – even the tablecloths going back to the laundry. Restaurants also tend not to buy lids because they are expensive, so they wrap pans in cling film instead, as cling film can sustain quite high heat. 

Beeswax wraps are becoming increasingly popular, but it's the ultimate in natural alternatives to cling film; just a cloth soaked in beeswax, which has intrinsic antimicrobial properties. Excellent for wrapping cheese or other foods.

Silicone bowl covers

These floppy circles are easy to use on round bowls and pans, plus they are microwave and ovenproof, so you can use them as pan lids. 

Silvex compostable organic cling film

Works like cling film, and you can toss it in the food waste bin or compost heap afterwards.