Did you know that every consumer plastic is classified by a resin identification code? Just about every plastic container, in the interest of creating more environmentally friendly packaging, is numbered from 1 to 7 with its resin identification code. It’s usually placed underneath or on the bottom of the item. The next time you need to buy plastic food containers, you can flip them upside down and you’ll find the resin identification (REC) code number in the middle of the familiar recycling triangle and find out if the plastics are truly environmentally friendly packaging.
The bad news is that most of us have no idea the difference between a plastic container with an REC of 2 and an REC of 3. But here’s a quick guide on the numbers, so you can feel safe about buying environmentally friendly packaging and the numbers you should avoid.
Environmental Friendly Packaging to Buy:
#1
This is the environmentally friendly packaging plastic that is usually found in water and soda bottles. These are generally considered safe for use, but reuse isn’t recommended. They’re difficult to properly clean and the porous nature of the plastic means that the bottles can easily absorb bacteria. But the good news is that you can recycle them easily.
#2, #4 and #5
These numbers are considered the safest. These are the environmentally friendly packaging plastics that don’t transmit any chemicals into food and they’re usually easy to recycle, especially plastics that are coded #2.
Non Environmentally Friendly Packaging:
#3
This resin is usually used in cling wrap. It has softeners called phthalates that have been shown to interfere with hormonal development. Also, the manufacturing of the #3 resin releases dioxin, another powerful carcinogen.
#6
This is the resin that’s found in polystyrene-foam cups. It’s also sometimes found in some clear plastic take-out containers. This resin has been known to leak styrene, another human carcinogen, into food.
Tags: environmentally friendly companies, environmentally friendly packaging
