Fluoropolymer (non-stick)
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)
PTFE, best known as Teflon, is the slippery fluoropolymer coating on most non-stick pans. It's a member of the PFAS family of 'forever chemicals', and scratched coatings shed plastic particles into food.
By PlasticFreeHome Research Team · Not yet reviewed by an editor · Updated 21 October 2026
- Also called
- Teflon, non-stick coating, fluoropolymer
- Type
- Fluoropolymer (non-stick)
- Found in
- non-stick frying pans and saucepans, baking trays and sandwich toasters, some air fryer baskets, plumbing tape, waterproof fabric membranes
- Heat
- Use on low to medium heat, never heat an empty pan, and stop using it once the coating is scratched or flaking.
- Recycling in the UK
- Coated pans can't go in household recycling. Take them to the metals skip at your local tip.
What it is
Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a fluoropolymer: a plastic built on a chain of carbon and fluorine atoms. It's extremely slippery and resistant to most chemicals, which is why it's the standard non-stick coating on pans, trays and sandwich toasters. Teflon is the best-known brand.
It counts as plastic under our definition, and it's part of the wider family of PFAS, the highly persistent chemicals the UK government's 2026 PFAS Plan aims to reduce.
PTFE, PFOA and PFAS
For decades PFOA, a different PFAS, was used to make PTFE. PFOA is now prohibited globally under the Stockholm Convention on persistent pollutants, and pans sold in the UK today are made without it. "PFOA-free" on a pan is therefore expected, not a special feature, and it doesn't mean the coating is free of PFAS: PTFE itself is a fluoropolymer.
The PFAS that build up in people mostly arrive through food and water. The European Food Safety Authority's 2020 assessment found that some Europeans exceed the safe weekly intake for four key PFAS, and that the main dietary sources were foods like fish, fruit and eggs, not cookware specifically.
What scratched pans release
A 2022 study used imaging to show that scratched non-stick coatings release PTFE micro- and nanoplastic particles, and that a single crack can release thousands. Worn coatings are the clearest reason to replace a pan.
How to cook more safely
- Use low to medium heat, and never leave an empty non-stick pan on a hot hob.
- Use wooden utensils, not metal, to protect the coating.
- Replace the pan once the coating is scratched, flaking or worn through.
- When it's time to replace, choose steel, cast iron or carbon steel: non-stick pan → steel. See is non-stick cookware safe?
Disposal
You can't recycle a coated pan at home. Most council tips will take old pans in the scrap metal container.
Related guides
Sources
- Luo et al. (2022), Science of the Total Environment — scratched non-stick coatings released Teflon micro- and nanoplastic particles
- Defra (2026), PFAS Plan — non-stick coatings are among 200+ uses of PFAS; PFOA is prohibited under the Stockholm Convention
- EFSA (2020), EFSA Journal — PFAS in food: a group tolerable weekly intake of 4.4 ng/kg, exceeded by part of the European population
Swaps involving PTFE
Nylon spatulas and spoons → wood or steel
Hot oil and pans soften plastic utensils. Wooden and steel ones don't melt, chip or leach.
High priority · about 60 g of plastic a year
Non-stick pan → stainless steel or cast iron
Non-stick coatings are a fluoropolymer plastic that wears off over time. Steel and iron pans last decades.
Worth doing · about 30 g of plastic a year