All About Silicone Kitchen Tools
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’s the default heat resistant, 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?
Now a few years later, I have quite a few silicone-based tools such as reusable silicone food bags, silicone baking mats, silicone cookware, and silicone food covers. They have lasted me a long time and replaced a ton of opportunities for waste.
In today’s post I’m answering all the questions I initially had about silicone for those who might be curious in learning more. Save yourself from searching around the web for answers and check out my compiled research here instead.
What is silicone?
The most abundant element in the Earth's crust is silicon, which is usually found in sand. Man-made silicone is a polymer made up of silicon, oxygen, carbon, and hydrogen. There are lots of properties to the polymer. You can make it liquid or gel that is hard, soft, or rubbery.
“Silicone is derived from silicon, a semi metallic or metal-like element that in nature combines with oxygen to form silicon dioxide, or silica. Beach sand, crystals, and quartz are silica. In fact, silica is the most common substance on earth.
Silicon can be produced by heating silica with carbon at a high temperature. Further processing can convert the silicon into a long chemical chain, or polymer, called silicone—which can be a liquid, a gel, or a rubbery substance.”
Are silicone kitchen tools eco-friendly?
Silicone is made with hydrocarbons, which come from petroleum. Petroleum is a fossil fuel, meaning that it is a product of millions of years of decomposition of organic matter. When it burns, it emits harmful pollutants, especially carbon dioxide, which is one of the biggest greenhouse gases.
As a result of silicone, it is difficult to recycle exactly because most of the facilities do not accept it as recyclable.
Even so, silicone is a better alternative to plastic - also not the best. Due to silicone's higher heat resistance and durability, it tends to last longer than plastic. From a safety standpoint, silicone also does not leach chemicals into foods.
Is silicone safe?
In accordance with Health Canada claims, silicone is safe because it has no reaction with food or food products, and does not produce any toxic fumes.
Silicone kitchen bakeware and other tools are heat-resistant and safe for the oven and freezer. The material has a low toxicity, thermal stability, and is easy to clean.
There are concerns around the safety of silicone, specifically that when heated to high temperatures (above 149° C) silicone becomes less stable. It is however safer alternative to non-stick cookware containing perfluorooctanoic acid.
A way to reduce the risk of leaching which is a product of high temperature use, is to buy silicone products that bear the food grade label. Although silicone may still leach, this silicone will not contain any chemical fillers.
Safe cooking tip: It is important to keep the temperature of silicone products below 220° C or 428° F
Can you recycle silicone?
Usually, products can be recycled IF there is a recycling symbol on it. Learn more about the recycling symbols in this article I wrote a while ago. If there is no recycling symbol, then you should contact your local waste management center to check if they actually accept silicone.
Alternatively, you can definitely recycle silicone with TerraCycle’s “No Separation - Zero Waste Box™”. I recently contacted TerraCycle to make sure they recycle it and the answer was YES, you can recycle silicone with their Zero Waste box.
When silicone is recycled , it's usually melted down into oil, which is used everywhere from playground mulch to industrial lubricants. The process can happen again and again, but every time silicone is recycled, it is downcycled. This means every time it's used, it slowly degrades so there is less and less material.
Is silicone a safe alternative to plastic?
Silicone has the flexibility, malleability, clarity, and temperature resistance similar, if not superior to plastic. It’s easy to form, and can be softened or hardened however needed. In recent years, silicones have been gaining a lot of traction as safe alternatives to plastics.
The material is used in so many everyday and industrial ways including: kitchen utensils, nipple covers for babies, toys, utensils, food containers, cosmetics, medical grade supplies, sealants, and adhesives.
Why is silicone bad for the environment?
Silicone rarely gets recycled, which makes it potentially hazardous for the environment. At this time, silicone products aren't currently accepted in most municipalities curbside recycling programs. In this way, silicone presents the same problem as plastic: most of it will end up in landfills. For lower quality silicone products that contain chemical fillers, the environmental impact can be amplified due to inevitable chemical leaching over time.
Pro Tip: If you want to test if a silicone product has chemical fillers, pinch and twist a flat surface of it and look for white. If you see it, there’s a good chance filler was used because pure silicone shouldn't change color at all.
In order to ensure you are making the most of silicone material and minimizing its environmental impact, you should:
use the product as long as you possibly can
get creative and make new uses for the material
contact your local waste programs to find out where you can properly dispose of it
Personally, I argue that as long as you are using high-quality (food or medical grade) silicone and reusing it as much as you can — silicone is still a way better alternative to single-use plastic. A reusable silicone bag, for example, can last up to 5 years, whereas a plastic baggie might last 2-3 uses maximum. (though let’s be honest, they often end up in the trash after one use) There is so much single-use plastic that can be avoided by using silicone.
By replacing disposable kitchen items such as parchment paper and foil, you can significantly reduce your kitchen’s waste production and environmental impact.
What is the difference between silicon and silicone?
There's a big difference between silicon and silicone: silicon is a natural substance, while silicone is made from synthetic material.
Silicon is a metalloid, which means it has metal and nonmetal properties. It's the second most abundant element on Earth after oxygen. Minerals called silicates are formed when oxygen and silicon react with reactive metals like granite, feldspar, and mica. Silica is a critical ingredient in bricks, concrete, and glass. It's also used to make enamel, pottery, and ceramics in its silicate form.
In contrast, silicone is a synthetic polymer made of silicon, oxygen, and other elements like carbon and hydrogen. It comes in liquid form or as a flexible rubber-like plastic that performs well as an insulator, has low toxicity, and is heat resistant. The high heat resistance of silicone makes it a great material for kitchenware, including oven mitts and baking sheets; silicone also makes a great coating for cookware because it's non-stick.
Do silicone products last longer than plastic ones?
Silicone components last a long time, and won't get damaged by high or low temperatures. Even if they are hand washed, reusable plastic containers can last a long time, but if they get scratched, fogged, or broken, they have to be thrown out much faster than silicone containers of similar use. No matter how old it gets, silicone doesn't degrade when it maintains the same form.
Silicones are tough, even when exposed to extreme temperatures and chemicals, as well as rain, snow, salt, uv radiation, and motor components. Unlike plastic, when it is recycled silicone can be cut down into tiny pieces and melted to inorganic, harmless components like silica, carbon dioxide, and water vapor in an incinerator.
How can I make my kitchen eco-friendly?
The kitchen is a good place to start developing an environmentally conscious lifestyle because how you use it can have a significant impact on the environment. Sustainable choices are typically more frugal too, so you'll be saving money and resources.
10 easy ways to start making your kitchen more Eco-Friendly
When possible, opt for wood, cast iron or ceramic materials in your cookware
Reuse items from packaging instead of throwing away such as glass jars and frozen food bags
Eat less meat and more plants
Start composting your food waste at home
Swap out plastic wrap for reusable beeswax wrap or silicone bags
Start being considerate of the energy produced when cooking (unplug appliances, shorten use, etc)
Save fruit and vegetable scraps, and make use of other leftovers such as stale bread to reduce waste
Use a plastic free dish soap and natural bristle sponge for dishes
When shopping, opt for reusable produce bags instead of plastic ones
Actively shop for food with less packaging
To learn more ways to be eco-friendly throughout your home, check out some of these other posts.
Hey, Claudia here
I am a senior graphic designer, a dog mom, an advocate for a zero-waste lifestyle, climate change, and sustainability. My articles are based on personal experience and well researched to give you the best source of information for all things zero-waste.