If you’ve ever wanted to cut back on single-use plastics in the kitchen, you’ve probably thought about buying silicone. From snack bags to suction lids, these durable, colorful swaps are designed to replace convenient disposable plastic bags and wraps. But reusable items aren’t automatically more sustainable than single-use plastic.
In fact, when it comes to reducing your environmental impact, you’re often better off reusing things you already own rather than buying new storage containers and kitchen tools. Here’s how to get the most out of silicone items and how to make swaps at home before buying new tools and gadgets.
What to ask before you buy
How often will I use this?
“Before you buy a reusable option, really make sure it’s something that you’re going to reuse. That’s where you get that net environmental benefit,” said Jeremy Gregory, an expert in materials production, recovery systems, and life cycle assessment at the MIT Climate & Sustainability Consortium.
When you account for production, shipment, and delivery, single-use plastics produce relatively low emissions compared with reusables, said Gregory. A silicone item will only have lower carbon emissions than disposable plastic if you use it many times—this is true for all reusables.
The experts I spoke with were hesitant to give exact, break-even numbers, but it is more than you might think. A 2021 life cycle assessment from the University of Michigan suggests that silicone bags—such as ones from Stasher—may never reach a break-even point with the plastic bags they’re meant to replace because of the energy and water required to clean them. That’s certain to be true if you rarely use them or buy multiples that you use infrequently, said Gregory.
Will I like silicone?
If you’re considering buying a new silicone item, keep in mind that many people get annoyed that this material tends to hold on to stains and odors, attracts lint and crumbs, and can be irritating to get out of a utensil crock—which may dissuade you from using the tool frequently.
Alternatives to silicone
Before committing to any new kitchen tool, consider if you already own something that can do the job. Here’s a list to get you started.
- Unbleached parchment paper: This is easily cut to size and can be reused at least once when lining cookie sheets. Unless it is very greasy, you can also recycle or compost it.
- Plastic bags: You can usually squeeze at least one more use out of resealable plastic bags, produce bags, and bread bags if you hand-rinse them (clothespins help with air-drying). Plastic freezer bags are especially durable over multiple uses.
- Jars: Wash and save wide-mouth jars with lids from pickles, olives, chili crisp, nut butter, and so on. (Glass jars can safely go in the dishwasher.) You’ll soon have a range of containers for storage and on-the-go.
- Plates: Dinner and salad plates make great lids for bowls. You can even stack various sized bowls this way to save fridge space.
- Wooden and bamboo spatulas: Wooden spoons and spatulas last decades, don’t scratch nonstick surfaces, and biodegrade swiftly without producing potentially harmful by-products.
- Kitchen towels: Professional cooks often forgo potholders for cotton kitchen towels, which, when folded, are heat resistant and multipurpose.
- Reusable food containers: If you’ve already invested in storage containers, you can use them for many of the same things for which you’d use resealable plastic bags (or their silicone replacements).
How to use silicone tools more sustainably
Sometimes you just want that silicone storage bag, baking mat, or bowl lid for the task at hand (especially if you already have it in your kitchen). Use it often and follow these guidelines to reduce environmental impact:
Be careful with how you wash and use it
To reduce energy and water use, don’t wash silicone more than you need to, and when you do, use the dishwasher, which is more efficient than washing by hand. The 2021 life cycle assessment from the University of Michigan found that it was the energy and water required to clean reusables that prevented some of them from reaching that break-even point with single-use plastics. If you like silicone bags for dry foods like pretzels and crackers, you may be able to wash them less, thus reducing their impact.
Though silicone is technically a plastic polymer, its durable molecular structure keeps it from shedding microplastics in the way that common plastics do. But it can still break apart into small pieces and enter our waterways. To keep silicone lasting as long as possible, be careful with it around sharp stuff, like the blades of a food processor.
Find a new home for gently used silicone
If you’re ready to get rid of your silicone items and they’re in good shape, consider donating them. Otherwise, they’re probably landfill-bound.
Similar to plastic baggies and cling wrap, silicone generally can’t be recycled in a curbside bin. The same properties that make silicone durable mean it can’t be melted down and remolded like plastic bottles can. Recycling silicone actually means downcycling—grinding and tearing it up for rubber-like applications like playground surfaces, which will one day end up in an incinerator or landfill.
Some manufacturers, including Stasher and Ziploc, offer free mail-in take-back programs through TerraCycle.
This article was edited by Christine Cyr Clisset and Marilyn Ong.
Sources
- Jeremy Gregory, executive director of the MIT Climate & Sustainability Consortium, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, phone interview, September 18, 2023
- Brooks Abel, assistant professor of chemistry, University of California Berkeley College of Chemistry, phone interview, September 18, 2023
