Reusing plastic containers?

[Second Summer]

Do you reuse plastic containers, such as ice cream boxes? We tend to use them a bit to store food, left-overs etc.

However, today I found a news article that said one should be careful with this practice, since some types of plastic are designed to be used only once, or only for certain types of foods and so on. The plastic can react with certain types of food and contaminate the food. This goes for plastic bags as well. Plastic bags you get in the grocery store are not meant for storing foods in, e.g. not meant for bread, according to the same article.

Jen has pointed me to the coding system used for plastic materials:
Resin identification code - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

It seems our ice cream boxes are pretty safe as they have the number 5 on them.

 

[Blobbenstein]

It never occurred to me to use the Swedish Glace boxes for food storage, like in the freezer.....I can't see a number on the box...

I have some old Robinson's drinks bottles that I have used for a few years..for water.

 

[Second Summer]

It never occurred to me to use the Swedish Glace boxes for food storage, like in the freezer.....I can't see a number on the box...

On Swedish Glace boxes the number is on the inside of the lid. (That's exactly the brand we're using as well.)

 

[Blobbenstein]

It's very nice icecream....I just get the vanilla(well that's all Tesco sell last time I checked), and mix in other things like coffee, coco etc...

I will save the next one then.....thanks.

 

[Tom L.]

I often do, but I'm careful not to put hot food in them so that the plastic would melt. The only ones I've been using are those tubs which soft margarine is sold in; the resin is #2, I think.

 

[Calliegirl]

I have a whole stack of plastic tubs I saved and reuse. Mostly Earth balance, hummus and salsa containers.

 

[AeryFairy]

I reuse plastic takeaway containers... They're a 5, and microwave/freezer safe, so I assume that's fine..

 

[KLS52]

#5 is supposed to be safe but I prefer not to microwave in them.

 

[Scorpius]

I don't reuse plastic containers, but (most of them) go straight into the recycle bin when I'm done with them. Eating out of reused/reheated plastic kinda skeeves me out. All my 'Tupperware'-like containers are Pyrex glass. They're a little heavier than plastic to carry around, but don't stain or warp like plastic does.

 

[Mikkel]

I never reuse plastic containers, but have others that is ment to go in the microwave oven and can be frozen. I've read some articles that some containers aren't good to reuse, so I just recycle all plastic containers.

 

[wains]

recycling plastic containers also helps to decrease the amount of pollution in the air and water sources. Many landfill facilities will incinerate plastic containers to save waste, which can emit toxic pollutants or irritants into the air. The plastic resin used to make plastic containers also contains potentially harmful chemicals which can seep into the soil or groundwater if they are able to break down in the landfill.

 

[SamSm]

We don't suppose to reuse single plastic bottles or containers..I think plastic containers are easy to carry around, don't have to worry about them breaking like glass

 

[peacefulveglady]

i recycle all and or most of our plastic containers , we keep a few like "butter tubs" or alike for popcorn use or for crafting. Also some of the plastic containers could be used to store crafting things...

 

[shyvas]

Only for storage. I buy wheat gluten in bulk and store it in empty protein powder containers. As they are huge (1kg) the gluten keeps for approx.16 months.
I have started to use bamboo containers and am slowly getting rid of my plastic ones.