PET (PETE) = polyethylene terephthalate

e.g. Bottles: 2-liter soft drink, cooking oil, other soft drinks, water, sports drinks, ketchup, salad dressing, etc. Jars for peanut butter, pickle, jelly and jam, etc.

GOOD! Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.

CAUTION: PET is a thermoplastic polymer resin that comes from polyester. When PET begins to degrade, it releases Acetaldehyde (=ethanal).

CAUTION: Microwavable packages should be avoided. PET migrates from the packaging into the food, as do the adhesive components (and their degraded products) of the package.

HDPE=high-density polyethylene

e.g. detergent bottles, milk jugs, water and juice bottles, yogurt and margarine tubs, cereal box liners. Grocery, trash, and retail bags.

GOOD! Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.

V or PVC = polyvinyl chloride

e.g. plastic pipes, outdoor furniture, siding, floor tiles, shower curtains, clamshell packaging, food packaging, children's toys and teethers, tubing, etc. Most cling-wrapped meats, cheeses, and other foods sold in delicatessens or grocery stores are wrapped in PVC.

Package components can migrate into wet food, especially if the food contains alcohol, acid, or fat. Skip the boil-in-a-plastic bag foods, as well as avoid those vacuum packed. Plastic tends to migrate into fatty foods, especially hot fatty foods. Don’t leave cheese wrapped in its plastic wrapper sitting in the sun! Cool leftovers before placing in plastic storage containers. Plastic wrap should never come into direct contact with fatty food in the microwave. Use ziploc plastic bags instead, they are not PVC.

LDPE=low-density polyethylene

e.g. bread and frozen food bags, squeezable bottles, dry-cleaning bags, produce bags, trash can liners, food storage containers.

OK! Not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.

Not as widely recycled as #1 or #2.

PP = polypropylene

e.g. bottle caps, drinking straws, yogurt containers. Some ketchup bottles and yogurt and margarine tubs.

OK! Hazardous during production, but not known to leach any chemicals that are suspected of causing cancer or disrupting hormones.

Not as widely recycled as #1 and #2.

Keep these out of sunlight: they will begin to degrade when exposed to UV light.

It is also important not to use leftover margarine or yogurt tubs in the microwave. Use ceramic or glass cookware instead

PS = polystyrene

e.g. "packing peanuts", foam cups and plates, meat trays, take-away food clamshell containers, foam insulation and also for hard applications (e.g. cups, tableware, some toys)

OTHER = any plastic other than the named #1–#6(usually polycarbonate)

e.g. certain kinds of food containers, Tupperware, and Nalgene bottles, baby bottles, microwave ovenware, eating utensils, plastic coating for metal cans.

PC= Polycarbonate plastics (e.g. Nalgene water bottles) are known to leach the hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol-A (BPA); BPA baby bottles and baby products are banned in Canada, yet, FDA-US says it's OK if people used it for 50 years.

Used over a prolonged period as an adult or even beginning consumption of these as a child - can actually change and or interfere with the chemical balance in human body. Whenever possible, replace plastic cups and other eating utensils that come into contact with hot fatty foods with glass or metal cups.

Many tin cans (of canned food) have plastic coatings that line the inside of the can out of concern that the metal might contaminate the food. Eighty-five percent of the cans sold in the United States have such linings, and the plastic coating leaches substances into the food, which can disrupt the hormonal system. When you buy the cans there is no way to tell which cans are lined with plastic and which aren’t. Choose frosen vegetables or meats over canned ones.