Over the years I have tried to test out a lot of different diets and routines to see which fit best with my lifestyle. When I adopted a zero waste lifestyle two years ago, I realized I needed to consider the greater impact of my food choices. Not only did I want to prioritize my mental and physical health by eating well, but I also needed to adjust my habits to reduce the amount of waste I was producing in my kitchen.

After starting my zero-waste journey I decided to swap out a lot of my houseware items for better quality, reusable, and longer lasting options. Right from the outset, silicone seemed like a great replacement for a lot of single-use plastic items around my home — especially in the kitchen. It seemed to be the default heat safe, food grade alternative to a lot of cheap plastic tools but if I’m being totally honest I didn’t know much about the material beyond that. I wondered Is silicone really safe … or even environmentally friendly?