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Is Silicone Better than Plastic?

In the past few years silicone has entered the ring as the new saviour to plastic.  Here's why:

BENEFITS

  1. Unlike plastic, there isn't any evidence that it leaches hormone disrupting chemicals into your food and body, regardless of temperature.
  2.  It can be washed and reused for a long time period (years).
  3. It's very durable


CONCERNS

  1. It doesn't biodegrade, so when you're done with it, it never goes away (like plastic).
  2. It's not widely recycled.  Try finding a recycling facility in your region is a bit of a needle the haystack situation.
  3. Even though it technically comes from sand, it's ultimately synthetic and the manufacturing may have some issues.

So what do you think? 

Do you use Silicone bags, cookie sheets, microwave lids? 

Do you think we should sell silicone products until we have a better solution?

Do you have a better solution?  

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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Comments

  • Unfortunately, I am not the best person to ask! Whilst I support the good points of silicone; I am allergic to it when it comes into contact with my skin!

    David Shore on

  • I have not had good experiences with silicone sandwich bags, so I keep trying to find a plastic alternative that acts like plastic, seals well, and keeps bread fresh. I love silicone bakeware, but there are already a lot of sources for that out there. So my vote would be no, Etee, don’t start using silicone due to its non-biodegradability and availability elsewhere.

    Bethany on

  • I have silicon products that I have used for years, I just really don’t like the texture of them. I prefer the feel of glass or stoneware. But with the reusable’s and such I just try to use glassware for my child’s lunches (he is 14).

    Lanfier on

  • I use silicone bakeware and am a chemistry professor. The purported safety concerns of silicone are associated with cheap silicone products that have fillers added. If Etee were to make some silicone products, I’m sure that this wouldn’t be an issue as they seem to research their materials thoroughly!
    Many on this list stated they would love a better biodegradable plastic. The issue with plastics, even biodegradable ones, and why I personally prefer long-use silicone products in general, is that plastics have components called plasticizers that can leach from the plastics, particularly after exposure to heat and light. Many plasticizers may be benign, but they are typically under-studied for long term toxicity. BPA is an example of a plasticizer we initially thought was benign, but that was later discovered to have health impacts with long term exposure in animals (and therefore suspected in humans). As such, since good quality silicone products do not leach components even when heated very hot, I will take silicone any day over any plastic – especially for cooking or reheating food.

    Florence on

  • What about hemp? Hemp “plastics” are biodegradable, non-toxic, durable, mold and mildew resistant so you can wash it, heat resitant (though I don’t know to what extent). The brittle fracture temp may be worth researching as well. Costs and regulations could be concerning, but I wonder if you could work with a Canadian version of the USDA (or the USDA) on it?

    Jen on

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