In today’s world life without plastic is hard to imagine. Plastic is everywhere-packaging, toys, bottles and personal care products. There has been buzz for many years about the safety of plastic. In a nutshell, plastic is generally toxic to produce, toxic to use, and toxic to dispose of (more to come on this in another post).

The amount of information available on plastics is daunting and the thought of eliminating plastic from our lives can be overwhelming. Beth Terry at Fake Plastic Fish has has documented her mission to live with as little unnecessary plastic as possible.

Before committing to living without plastic, the first step in Plastics 101 is getting to know our plastics.

Most common plastics have a three arrow triangular symbol with the numbers 1-7 (often found on the bottom of the product). Those numbers tell which containers are accepted by recyclers. They also give us the class of plastic and its chemical characteristics.

HERE ARE PLASTICS IN A NUTSHELL:

Number 1 Plastics PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate)-DON’T USE

• WHERE FOUND:  clear plastic containers for bottled water, soda, sports drinks, cosmetics, shampoos and condiments such as vinegar and salad dressing.
• RISKS: PET bottles can produce endocrine disruptors if a product is stored long-term in a PET container or exposed to high heat.
• This plastic is picked up by most curbside recycling programs.

Number 2 Plastics-HDPE (High Density Polyethylene)-MINIMAL KNOWN RISK

• WHERE FOUND:  milk jugs, water, and juice bottles, bleach, detergent and household cleaners, yogurt and margarine tubs, cereal box liners, and grocery, trash, and retail and motor oil bottles.
• RISKS: Little known risk-not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.
• This plastic is picked up by most curbside recycling programs.

Number 3 Plastics–Polyvinyl chloride aka vinyl (V or PVC)-DON’T USE

• WHERE FOUND: shower curtains, plastic cling wrap, teething rings, and toys, window cleaner and detergent bottles, cooking oil bottles.
• RISKS: PVC contains chlorine, so when produced it can release dioxins.  PVC can leach lead and phthalates among other things. When burned, PVC releases toxins.
• This type of plastic  is rarely accepted by recycling programs.

Number 4 Plastics-LDPE (low density polyethylene)-LOW RISK

• WHERE FOUND: produce bags, dry cleaning bags, food storage containers, squeezable bottles, frozen food, clothing; furniture, carpet.
• RISKS: No confirmed leaching of chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.
• This plastic is not often accepted by curbside recycling programs.

Number 5 Plastics-PP (polypropylene) –NOT HIGH RISK

• WHERE FOUND: bottle caps, straws, some yogurt containers, ketchup bottles, margarine tubs.
• RISKS: Emits toxins during production. No confirmed leaching of chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.
• This plastic is increasingly being accepted by curbside recycling programs.

Number 6 Plastic PS (Polystyrene, aka Styrofoam)-DON’T USE

• WHERE FOUND: take-out containers, disposable plates and cups, foam food containers, meat trays, egg cartons, aspirin bottles, compact disc cases.
• RISKS: Evidence suggests polystyrene can leach potential toxins into foods.
• Most recycling programs will not accept #6 plastic.

Number 7 Plastic Catch all for any other plastic (usually polycarbonate)-DON’T USE

• WHERE FOUND: baby bottles, microwave ovenware, eating utensils, plastic coating for metal cans. New plant-based, biodegradable plastics like PLA (Polylactic Acid) also fall into the #7 category.
• RISKS:  Polycarbonate plastic can leach harmful Bisphenol A (BPA).
• Most curbside recycling programs will not accept this type of plastic.

Now that you have this guide, take the time to look at the bottom of your plastic containers and get to know your plastics.

Sources:

PET (#1) Plastic May Leach Endocrine Disruptors

Step 5: Be Wise With Plastics

What Do Recycling Symbols on Plastics Mean?