Imagine you've just finished eating a delicious, healthy and eco-friendly meal made from free range, organic, and hormone-free foods...now what do you do with the leftovers?  You put them in a plastic storage container and stick them in your fridge, right?  Well there are some things you might want to know about those plastic containers before you put your tasty treat in that Tupperware.  Plastic food containers are associated with health issues and environmental concerns.

Plastics are categorized into 7 different groups by the chemicals used to produce them.  The seven types of plastic are:

A lot of plastic food containers are made with plastics number 4 and 5, which are considered to contain chemicals that won't leech into your food.  However, number 7 plastics are also used in some food containers.  Number 7 plastics contain Bisphenol A, commonly referred to as BPA, which is a key industrial chemical used to make polycarbonate, which is a hard, clear plastic.  BPA is an endocrine disruptor which can negatively affect hormone levels, which is especially concerning for developing children.  BPA has also been linked to heart disease, diabetes, hyperactivity and obesity.  On the Rubbermaid website the company admits to using polycarbonate, also known as plastic # 7, in some of their products, knowing that there are concerns about the health problems associated with BPA.  Rubbermaid labels all of their BPA free products with a stamp on the bottom of the container to allow for more informed choices on the part of the consumer.  Tupperware also uses #7 plastic to make some of its products. The following Tupperware products are made from polycarbonate (#7): the Rock 'N Serve microwave line, the Ice Prisms line, the Meals-in-Minutes Microsteamer, the "Elegant" Serving Line, the TupperCare baby bottle, the Pizza Keep' N Heat container, and the Table Collection (the last three are no longer made but might still be found in your kitchen).  Visit the Tupperware website for a complete list of products and the types of plastics used to make them.

Before purchasing any new plastic food storage containers you should always check the bottom of the container and look for the number inside the chasing arrows symbol.  The safest plastics for repeated use to store food or beverages are numbers 2, 4, and 5.  It's a good idea to stay away from any containers labeled with any other numbers, as there is a higher chance of unhealthy chemicals leeching into your food. 

Plastics in general are not a good choice to purchase for the eco-friendly consumer because they are a difficult item to recycle.  Not all recycling centers take every type of plastic because not all plastics require the same processes for recycling.  Even the plastics that can be recycled most times are not being made into plastic containers again that can continue to be recycled.  Instead they are used to make new secondary products like textiles, parking lot bumpers, and plastic lumber.  These secondary products are then not recyclable, and therefore do not continue the recycling loop.  This just creates more waste and more materials usage when making new plastic containers.

Instead of purchasing plastic food storage containers, think about using glass or metal containers, which don't have the health concerns linked with them.  Glass and aluminum are both easily recyclable materials and can be recycled into useful products that can then be recycled again.  Some great alternatives to plastic food storage containers are Pyrex and CorningWare which are both refrigerator,  freezer, microwave, and oven friendly!  And as for those plastic containers that you already own, don't just throw them out now.  They can be used to hold non-food items like craft supplies, baseball card collections, hardware, office supplies, etc.