Silicone vs Plastic:  Food Storage Alternatives

Plastic is a widely used component pretty much everywhere in the world. We see plastic shopping bags, cups, ornaments, and straws, which are consumed in bulk every single day. However, scientific studies regularly remind us that plastic is not great for the environment, let alone one’s health.  We should lessen the use of plastics tremendously if not completely eradicate it in our lives. There are alternatives and today I’ll cover a comparison of silicone vs plastic, in terms of food storage mediums.  I’ll cover all these issues in this article about silicone vs plastic and then we’ll look at if there’s an alternative component to use aside from plastic. A solution, if you will. Ready?

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Why Plastic is Such a Big Problem

Some negative effects on health are that plastics can cause endocrine disruption, resulting in cancers, immune system suppression, congenital disabilities, and developmental problems in children because it has carcinogens.  You may notice that many adverse effects are happening to children and that’s because they have less mature immune systems than adults. Now, onto plastic’s adverse effects on our environment.

Plastics take thousands of years to decompose. A lot of the chemicals from traditional plastics are absorbed by the soil in the process. If we burn them instead, they still release toxic substances which cause air pollution.

How long plastic takes to decompose

Plastics take up to 1,000 years to decompose, while plastic bottles take 450 years or so. Imagine the amount of damage it could cause during all of those years.

One of the ways to decompose plastic is through photodegradation, which involves UV rays (sunlight) striking the plastic. If the UV rays are not concentrated on the plastic, the decomposition process is slowed and that’s why it’s tough to break down plastic. Plus, plastics buried underground don’t usually see the light of day.

Plastics at sea are different because they take a shorter time to decompose because of sunlight exposure and wind a wave action. On the other hand, even if plastic at sea decomposes, its chemicals (or microplastics) still stay and can get inside the gut of animals, therefore harming or even killing them.  It’s been estimated that around a million marine creatures die from plastic poisoning each year. But we can do something about reducing or removing plastic usage.  Keep reading for an alternative.

What is Silicone made from?

One of the answers to our longstanding problem with plastic is to increase silicone usage. Before we delve deeper into this, it is better to be familiar with how silicone is made.  Silicone’s main component is Silica, which can be found in sand and rocks. However, you need to heat silica to a very high temperature for pure Silicon to be extracted. Silicon is ground to a fine powder and then combined with Methyl Chloride which then goes through a complex distillation process to separate the various components of the mixture. It is then cleansed with water and again split into further component parts.

The large scale manufacture results in the production of Silicone at a relatively low cost, with Silicone being a non-toxic and heat-resistant material which is why it is often used to make cookware.

Silicone is also used in coatings, electronics, medicine, ophthalmology, and personal care, as well as in lubricants in the automotive industry. In the next part of this silicone vs plastic article, we will find out why silicone in many cases is a perfectly good alternative to plastic.

Why Silicone is a Good Alternative to Plastic

The main reason why silicone is a better alternative to plastic is that it is non-toxic, which means that it doesn’t contain latex, lead, BPA, phthalates, and other chemicals.  It does not cause as much harm to the environment as plastic does.

Aside from that, other factors such as silicone being highly durable, way more durable than plastic, and can even stand extreme heat and cold. Therefore, it’s perfect to use as a sealant or insulator. It also has low chemical reactivity; this is why a lot of cookware that we use nowadays is made from silicone.

Is Silicone safe to use?

Proof that Silicone is safe is that it is widely used for cookware and the medical field.  Many baking materials and kitchen utensils make use of silicone including baking moulds, straws, pot holders, steamers, egg boilers, cookware lids, reusable mats, oven gloves and non-stick bakeware.

Another reason why Silicone is very popular in cookware is that it has low thermal conductivity. There are even ziplock bags, straws, cups, and the handles of cooking equipment like pots and pans.  (our guide to the best plastic-free freezer storage is here)

In the medical industry, Silicone is used in seals, micro fluids, shrouds, gaskets, and other applications that require high biocompatibility.  The gel form is used in pectoral and breast implants and contact lenses, bandages, and dressings. Scar treatment sheets are also usually made with medical-grade Silicone. This material is also used to produce surgical tools, diagnostic instruments, patient monitoring systems, valves, and tubing.

How long does Silicone take to decompose

Silicone takes between 50 and 500 years to decompose because it is incredibly durable and conducive to heat. But – the big difference is that it is not toxic to aquatic and soil organisms, unlike many plastics.

Is Silicone biodegradable or recyclable

Silicone is recyclable, albeit needing a special facility and local municipalities don’t usually pick up Silicone products for recycling.

Cons of using Silicone for storage

Every positive thing in this world often has its negative counterparts and silicone is not an exception to that, and for that reason, here are the cons of using silicone.

• Some silicone products have chemical fillers: The emphasis here is on the word “some”, which means that not every silicone material has fillers.
• Some silicone-coated pots and pans are very prone to scratching; that is why it’s necessary to take better care of silicone-coated products.
• Silicone requires special facilities to be recycled.

Be cautious about using silicone

While silicone seems like the perfect alternative to plastic, it may not always be the best choice. Even though silicone mainly contains silica extracted from sand and rocks, it is also made using the other chemicals that what we mentioned earlier.

Given this, you should still be cautious about over using silicone and make sure you re-use it as much as possible. You can either recycle it or give it away when you no longer need it. On the other hand, you can use glass jars, stainless steel, and cloth bags as an alternative to both plastic and silicone.

Silicone vs Plastic – which is more sustainable

Here is an in-depth summary of silicone vs plastic:

• Silicone is ocean safer than plastic as it degrades into larger parts unlike plastics, which can get inside marine animal’s gut.
• Silicone endures decades without a quality downgrade, whereas plastic cracks and stiffens more quickly with age.
• Silicones and plastics both have limited recyclability, but the main difference is that plastics emit toxic chemicals into our environment over a long period of time.
• Silicone is dishwasher and oven safe because it can withstand heat, whereas plastic-made materials quickly melt.
• Silicone-made products are approved by UK, EU and USA food safety standards while even BPA-free plastics contain estrogen-mimicking chemicals.

You are now more familiar with silicone, and the positive things that using silicone-made materials can cause. Just make sure to remember the following when buying silicone-made products:

• Look for food-grade or medical-grade silicone products as those are the highest quality of silicone.
• Make sure that there is no strange smell when the silicone cookware is heated. Ensure that it also doesn’t change colour because if it does, it means that the producer may have added some fillers to the product.
• Pre-clean all silicone products before using them.
• Make sure that you follow the maximum temperature stated on the product packaging because it may emit chemicals otherwise.

Other pros of using Silicone include:

• Ability to hold liquids without spilling
• Is easy to clean and hygienic

And of course, through using silicone, we get to lessen plastic usage.

Last but definitely not least, here’s a list of recommended products made of silicone.

• Petroleum-free Silicone food containers, straws, mugs, toddler feeding spoons, and more. You can get these both online and in physical stores.
• Eco lunch boxes
• Reusable Silicone bags in different sizes, colours and shapes. These bags have low thermal conductivity so they are microwave safe and you can also put them in the fridge.
• Baking mats and cupcake moulds. <  I have these exact ones!

We’re always looking for the most environmentally friendly, and ecologically friendly way of managing our home and garden. Here are some of our key guides to this.

• The best eco dish sponges and scrubbers
• Eco-friendly dishcloths and tea towels
• Which is best for food storage? Glass or Plastic?
• Looking for ideas? Here’s how to recycle glass jars
• The Best Plastic-Free Freezer Storage Guide.

Final Words on Plastic vs Silicone for Storage and Food Use

While using plastics for food storage is often convenient and cheap, it’s not always the best option for the environment and personal health.  There are alternatives though and in this article we’ve covered one of them, silicone.  I hope it’s explained a little about the differences between plastics and silicone and how silicone can be used more sustainably in food storage and the kitchen.

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