Last week I wrote about the paper vs. plastic debate. While plastic used less resources than paper, it is not a green choice.

Reusable bags are the way to go at the grocery store, but what about at home?

If you brownbag your lunch, do you use plastic sandwich bags to keep your foods separate?

We have some and I feel guilty every time I pull one out. Since I’m so gung ho about our reusable shopping bags, I thought I should look for alternatives to the plastic sandwich and zipper bags.

According to the Film and Bag Federation, plastic sandwich bags were introduced in 1957, and quickly became a part of our routines.

What did people do before 1957?

Mary Conlin Milker, a blogger with Eco Child’s Play, wrote about using wax paper or even cloth napkins to wrap her children’s sandwiches.

That’s a novel idea, but I know not everyone digs the retro scene.

So, I kept looking and found a blog post at Mommies with Style raving about the Wrap-N-Mat.

The Wrap-N-Mat is a washable sandwich wrap that unfolds to become a placemat.

These wraps are washable and reusable, making them much more environmentally friendly than plastic sandwich bags. These wraps are made with a thicker version of low-density polyethylene (LDPT), the same material used to make most plastic sandwich bags. The thicker material makes them reusable.

We are big fans of re-using the plastic containers that come with some products. I do take care not to microwave foods in these containers.

Still, these wraps sound like a great idea, have you used these or a similar product? I would love to hear your opinion.