Here is a wild and unprofessional speculation.

Silicon is often considered as a potential substitute for carbon in speculative discussions of alternatives to carbon-based life. Since this is such bizarre behavior for a non-carbon environment, why not, at least in the privacy of one's mind, consider silicon-based automata as the active agent? One might even consider wether they might be called life.

To speculate publicly would be ridiculed, but in an open-minded forum such as Hacker News, maybe we could indulge ourselves if just for entertainment.

More realistically, the problem is the disposal of waste products.