Can Silicone Safely Replace Disposable Plastics?

If you've read a zero-waste lifestyle blog or related social media stream, you may find that many people recommend silicone bags as a replacement for disposable sealed plastic bags and plastic food storage containers. Silicone bags have become particularly popular, perhaps because they are very photogenic, available in a variety of colors, and transparent enough to reveal the food.

At first glance, they are an ideal solution to provide all the advantages of a plastic bag: lightweight, flexible, elastic, washable and waterproof. Some advocates also believe that silicone is more like rubber than plastic because they come from sand and are a natural product.

Silicone is widely considered safe by organizations such as Health Canada and Scientific Americans, but has not conducted many in-depth discussions or follow-up studies on its long-term effects.

The studies they cited also show that silicone are not completely inert, they also permeate low concentrations of synthetic chemicals, especially when the food they contain contains high fat. In alcoholic solutions, silicone may release siloxane-based compounds, while siloxane-based compounds are endocrine and fertility destroyers and are also potential carcinogens.

At the same time, the recycling rate of silicone is also very low, and it is usually used to make industrial lubricants after treatment.

This shows that we should be cautious when using silicone. If you are truly committed to a zero-waste, plastic-free life, then you should use a silicone bag replacement. For example, glass jars, stainless steel containers or cloth bags can all work in silicone bags without any problems with the production, use and handling of silicone.