Plastic and Tupperware
There are different sorts of plastic,
used for different purposes. They are categorized in accordance with
what raw material was used to produce the product. Here are the
different categories:
According to The Green Guide, a website and magazine focusing on promoting greener living and owned by the National Geographic Society, the safest plastics for repeated use in storing food are from categories 2, 4 and 5.
Tupperware: Most Tupperware containers are made from #4 or #5 plastics.
- #1 PET bottles. Most of us use these bottles more than once. People do buy a nice/cool looking water bottle, with the purpose of reusing it several times before throwing it out. Bottles made from this plastic are proven to leak carcinogenic, hormone-disrupting phthalates when used over and over again.
- #3 PVC plastics. PVC can leak cancer-causing dioxins, which is one of the most toxic environmental pollutant there is. PVC is found in a wide range of consumer products, such as packaging, credit cards, bottles and imitation leather, as well as in construction material, such as window frames, cables, pipes, window blinds, wallpaper and flooring. In addition to that it is used in car interiors and in hospitals, as medical disposables. However, PVC does not only leak harmful additives during use (recent testing has showed that children can ingest hazardous chemicals from PVC toys etc) – already the production of PVC creates and releases dioxin and PVC products continue to leak harmful additives during disposal, when they’re burned or buried. Burning creates and releases more dioxins and compounds containing chlorine, which further contaminates the environment. Furthermore, phthalates are present in this category as well. They are added to PVC to make it soft and flexible. PVC is difficult to recycle, resulting in much of it ending up in landfills – which we all know is the least favorable outcome from an environmental point of view. Danish and Swedish governments are restricting PVC use, hundreds of communities worldwide are eliminating PVC in buildings and many companies such as Nike, IKEA and The Body Shop have committed to eliminating PVC from their products. Many deli items are packed in PVC plastic containers, so swapping foods out of such wraps one the groceries are home is advicable.
- #6 plastics (polystyrene, also known as styrofoam). Containers made of polystyrene can also be dangerous, as its base component, styrene, has been associated with skin, eye and respiratory irritation, depression, fatigue, compromised kidney function, and central nervous system damage. Take-out restaurant orders often come in polystyrene containers, which also should be emptied into safer containers once you get them home.
Identify your plastic! Check these codes at the bottom of your plastic-ware.
These codes are known as resin identification code.
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