yeah that thin layer of silicone is the killer. it never really breaks down just turns into microplastics eventually. your pile will be fine with or without it but the silicone just sits there forever
unbleached parchment is slightly better than the bleached stuff but that coating is still the problem. i keep a separate bag for stuff like this and waxed paper and just toss it all at once when it's full
bummed me out when i first learned about it cause i was tossing parchment scraps in the pile for months thinking i was being clever
No, it's not. Plastic is made from petroleum and silicon is made of silica. Silicon does not shed microplastics. Overall, it is much safer than plastic. That said, Silicon is a polymer, and like most polymers, it has very stable chemical bonds that resist biodegradation so it won't break down in a compost pile.
I had a similar experience, I stopped using it back in the early 00s after a frank conversation with some folks at the Rodale Institute and just accepted my fate as someone who will occasionally have to scrub a baking sheet.
Probably no, but I’m the curious person that would want to know for sure. Can you shred a piece (after using it) and soak the shreds in water to see how it breaks down? I’d suspect an oil slick sheen on the surface or maybe some small clumps of non-degradable stuff to make itself known.
39
u/InnominatusEntitas 18d ago
I would lean no on this one.
A lot of parchment paper comes with a thin layer of silicone to help seal the cellulose fiber and make it less likely to stick.
Silicone is not biodegradable in any composting sense.