Posts tagged "silicone"

How can I repair a silicone baking mat?

We’ve had another email from our good friend Petra:

I’ve got a question about a silicone baking mat.

I have two of them, but accidentally in both of them there is a cut from a knife or pizza slicer.

Does anyone know of a method to repair these cuts?

I can’t think of something myself and also google doesn’t give any glues. So who knows…

It’s a very good question – silicone cookware seems to be *the* thing in the shops at the moment – mats, trays, cake trays – but I would worry about accidentally slicing it or whatever too.

So does anyone know how you might go about fixing one?

How can I reuse or recycle diaphragms?

Cor, it’s been a busy week here on Recycle This – giveaways for washable pads, a Mooncup, Jam Sponges and Fairtrade condoms!

It’s nearly time to bring our women’s & sexual health week to a close though but I had one more “how can I recycle this?” query before we finish: how can I reuse or recycle diaphragms?

Latex rubber diaphragms degrade over time so should be replaced every couple of years. They need replacing even quicker if they come into contact with any oil-based lubricants. Silicone ones last longer (up to 10 years in some cases) but still need replacing eventually.

They also need replacing if the woman’s weight fluctuates up or down by 10lb (4.5 kg), or if she experiences a pregnancy lasting 14 weeks or longer.

Between one thing and another, we’re not talking about the type of waste associated with more disposable forms of contraception but there will still be a lot hitting end-of-life with the easiest option to be dumped into landfill. But is there anything else that can be done with them?

And what about their cases?

How can I reuse or recycle baby bottle teats/nipples?

We’ve had an email from Rebecca:

Love the website, have found it really useful but I want to know if I can recycle rubber teats? I am going to sell the bottles on e-bay for re-use but I know Mums won’t want used teats and we have about 25 of varying sizes and I cannot bear to just chuck them.

Would our local recycling centre take them, is there even a facility for recycling rubber bottle teats?

Would love any suggestions.

Apparently the clear teats are more likely to be silicone than rubber – silicone can be recycled but isn’t done so widely. If they are rubber, there may be a collection bin at your local household waste recycling centre but most recycling of rubber seems to be on a bigger scale – car tyres for example.

So what about reuses? It might be worth calling a local animal shelter to see if they could use them for bottle feeding small creatures – they might need the attached bottles too though.

Any other suggestions?

How can I reuse or recycle silicone awareness bracelets?

awareness-braceletWe’ve had an email from Sally:

Hi. My eldest collected lots of those gel awareness bracelets when they were all the rage a few years ago but now she says she doesn’t want them any more… What can I do with them?

I imagine like other rubber-ish items (like rubber gloves), they could be used to provide extra grip on sometimes slippery or cold surfaces – like metal handles of shovels.

Is there enough give in them to be able to use them as very strong elastic bands?

Any other suggestions?

How can I reuse or recycle swimming caps?

swimming-capWe’ve had an email from Jennie:

Can you recycle swim caps?

It’ll depend on what the caps are made from but the answer to actual recycling is probably no. According to Wikipedia, they can be made from latex, silicone or lycra: silicone is recyclable, but not collected widely for recycling while latex and lycra (spandex) aren’t recyclable on a large scale yet.

If they’re still in good, usable condition, the best thing to do would be able pass them on to someone else who can use them for their original purpose – through a charity/thrift shop maybe, or through your local pool.

And what about reuses?

(Photo by coudron)