Silicon Phone Cases
Cradle to Cradle
How It's Made & Where It Comes From
Silicon is made from silica which comes from and is found in nature as quartz. The silica is put into a Silicon Furnace, where a carbon electrical arc reacts at high temperatures to move the oxygen out of the silica, combining with the carbon to form carbon dioxide and leaving silicon. Then that silicon is molded into the phone case at manufacturing facilities.
How is it Used & For How Long
We use silicon as a plastic because of its properties such as flexibility, temperature resistance, water resistance, and its impact resistance which makes it a good material for phone cases.
What Happens When it is Not Needed, Time it Takes to Break Down, & Toxicity
Unfortunately, silicon has a low recycling rate. After a person has used there silicon phone case until it is no longer needed, they tend to just throw it away in the trash where it is transported to local dumps. Along with that, silicon does not biodegrade or decompose (in our lifetime at least) It is recyclable, but not likely through your local recycling program. You likely would have to take it to a specialized private recycling facility. Silicon has a low toxicity. Although yes it can release chemicals over time, it releases them at an extremely low rate that is completely safe to the environment.
Ways it Can Be Reused
Silicon actually can be considered as a part of the rubber family. This means that it is recyclable. If we take the time to recycle it, it can be processed where it will ultimately be reused again.
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Reduce: We need to reduce the places where we throw silicon at.
Reuse: If we recycle it properly it can be reused and reused.
Recycle: If we take the time to properly recycle silicon it can be extremely beneficial.