Silicone vs. Paper

I was washing my silicone cupcake containers, which I use for my girls lunches - never think of them for cupcakes, not that I make them often - and suddenly had a thought; which is better for the environment, paper or silicone. Then I went on and thought of all the other silicone products I had in my house, and how popular silicone has become recently. This stuff doesn't biodegrade (that I know of) and can't be recycled (again, that I know of) so, just how much of this is going to be clogging our world in the future?

I know I can use various paper products to help removal and clean up when baking, but the thought occurred to me, the best answer is to go au-natural. Or use glass products.

But I wouldn't. I hate scrubbing dishes and such. And then the thought hit me: Well, we really should not be eating these baked goods anyway. Refined flour, sugar, bad fats, etc. are all really bad for us to eat anyway. So is this a delima?

Well, yes it is. Because I live in the real world, and my kids really expect a cake for birthdays, and I do enjoy making them one. So now I have to wrestle with this thought now: Paper, or plastic, or silicone.