Plastic wrap, a/k/a cling film, is a super-useful plastic that can't be recycled and ends up in landfill. Many households use it, and that's dwarfed by the restaurant and food service industries, which go through tons of the stuff. So a greener alternative would go a long way.

Great Lab, an Australian materials science company, says they've developed just that. Their Great Wrap is made from potato waste (the unusable bits of starch yielded by potato chip production) "and a mix of other compostable biopolymers," with the result being that the stuff is fully compostable, no special facility required.

Thrown into your yard, Great Wrap breaks down in under 180 days, turning into harmless and non-toxic food for microbes, the company says. "It goes perfectly with your organic waste to be composted into rich, nutrient soil."

Great Wrap can be bought without a dispenser in "Nudie Rolls," with a pair going for $19; adding for the company's purpose-designed dispenser, which features an internal spool and a sliding slicer, adds $20 to the cost. (The dispensers, by the way, are each made from 33 recycled PET bottles.)

The obstacle to mass uptake is, for now, one of cost. At Walmart, a premium plastic wrap like Reynolds commands 1.8 cents a square foot, whereas the brand's generic Great Value version goes for just 1 cent per square foot. Great Wrap comes in at 9 cents per square foot. With any luck that will come down over time.

Here's a quick water test to demonstrate Great Wrap's efficacy:

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