Skip to content Silicone is a special and growingly used substance . You most likely have a few silicone-based products in your collection, ranging from diverse bakeware and cookware items to protective phone cases. Because it is adaptable, strong, and temperature-sensitive, it may be stored in the refrigerator, freezer, or oven without undergoing any changes in condition.
Silicone kitchen utensils are fantastic for smoothing out cake icing and brushing on butter, and they are less prone to damage your pan. Though silicone is incredibly useful, there are concerns about its environmental effects, so it might not be the greatest material for your kitchen.
Although silicone doesn’t biodegrade, it gets disposed of less frequently than plastic. You can utilize silicone for more applications than plastic. Compared to plastic-based products, silicone objects can be used much more frequently without breaking, discoloring, or scratching them. As a result, there is less waste produced because fewer items are thrown out. This reduces plastic pollution, which is good for the environment overall, but silicone is still a major cause of many environmental problems.
Silicone and it’s Eco-friendliness
Not all materials on the market are as eco-friendly as silicone. Hydrocarbons obtained from petroleum are used in the production of silicone, which is not sustainable. Not only is it hard to recycle, most facilities won’t take it. Having said that, silicone works just as well as plastic; it’s simply not the greatest.
Reusing items is a simple method to act more responsibly because silicone is a sturdy substance that lasts longer than plastic. Because of this, silicone is a fantastic choice for companies and customers who care about the environment and wish to steer clear of products made of plastic. Biodegradable food carriers made from recycled paper and cardboard are an easy way to replace single-use items like plastic bags; silicone is better suited for products that are meant to be used hundreds of times.
Can Silicone be Recycled?
No programme in the United States allows the recycling of silicone at the curbside recycling pick-up. That raises an instant red flag in terms of the environment. However, certain specialized recyclers can recycle silicone, so you might get your pals together and bring bakeware or other goods made of silicone.
Additionally, inquire about any special recycling days that your town or municipal observes. These programmes may accept construction materials or used silicone bakeware that wouldn’t be recycled curbside. But silicone is usually recycled and used to make industrial lubricant oil.
Silicone’s Biodegradable Compound
Because silicone is a relatively new material, it doesn’t biodegrade like other chemicals made by humans. It hasn’t existed long enough for enzymes, bacteria, fungi, yeasts, or other naturally occurring processes that breakdown other materials to evolve to do so. Therefore, abandoned silicones will languish in a landfill like plastics, fragmenting over time but never entirely disintegrating into constituent parts that a living thing could employ once more. The amount of time silicone would take to completely deteriorate is unknown.
Is Silicone Better than Plastic?
Silicone is unquestionably less harmful than plastic, a petroleum-based material that frequently contains compounds that mimic estrogen, such as bisphenol-A (BPA). Physicians, scientists, and government authorities identify several health issues linked to BPA and other hormone disrupting environmental pollutants.
Concerned about the numerous poisons employed in plastics, scientists, consumers, and authorities have taken aim at plastics manufacturers. BPA-free labels are appearing on plastic products more often, leading some customers to believe that these products are safe.
Researchers have found that in order to claim their items as BPA-free, plastics producers eliminated BPA and replaced it with a new chemical known as BPS (bisphenol substitution), which is thought to be more hazardous than BPA.
Whether the plastic containers contain BPA or not, the non-biodegradable material contributes significantly to pollution that reaches the summit of our mountains and the bottom of our seas. Researchers have discovered large and tiny collections of plastic garbage inside human bodies, including the placentas of expectant women and breast milk, as well as throughout our globe.
Is Silicone in Beauty Products Biodegradable
Most likely, when you think about silicone, you picture something that you can hold in your hands. However, there is a dubious aspect to this material, which is also included in hair and cosmetic goods.
It is typically identifiable by looking for substances with the suffix “-cone,” example cyclopentasiloxane and cetearyl methicone.
Experts generally agree that silicone is harmless for skin, and it may even improve the appearance of smoother, more elastic, and more moisturized skin. It can add a silkiness to hair products, but over time, it may lead to increased breakage. We don’t completely understand silicone’s long-term effects or whether it should be one of the numerous elements in skincare products to be avoided because it is a relatively new addition to the beauty scene.
However, silicone does not deteriorate or break down, as far as we know. This implies that all those annoying plastic exfoliating microbeads end up in the water supply when you wash cosmetics containing silicone down the drain.
Although the use of silicone in cosmetics and hair products has not yet been found to be a serious issue, bioaccumulation is certain. Accordingly, silicone would accumulate in fish and eventually find its way up the food chain to humans.
Choose alternatives free of silicone if you want to lessen the effects of this possible future issue. The EU intends to outlaw them, so things should get easier. Rather, equip your bathroom with natural and organic skin care products.
Can Bacteria Survive in Silicone?
Both silicone and biostability are present in it. To put it in layman’s terms, it means that it is resistant to the impacts of bacteria, viruses, and other microbes and is not poisonous.
Although it is not completely impervious to bacteria, its non-porous structure will aid in keeping harmful insects at bay. It’s crucial to give your reusable silicone milk tops a good cleaning in order to preserve the delicious, farm-fresh flavor of your drinks. It is fortunate that they are dishwasher safe!
Conclusion
Should We Use Silicone Products?
Similar to the argument over plastic bags, consumers must choose the less harmful option. Cotton requires a labor-intensive production process, but tote bags are more biodegradable and have a longer lifespan than plastic carriers. distinct materials play distinct roles in the preparation, transportation, and storage of food.
Silicone items are a sensible choice for food preparation because they will be used hundreds of times to produce mouthwatering dishes that people will love. Food waste must be avoided and freshness must be maintained during storage and transportation.
Here, plastic should be avoided wherever possible by both customers and companies in order to protect perishable goods. Glass is a fantastic alternative for food storage at home, but the most efficient and sustainable solution for food outlets is eco-friendly takeout packing.
