What the Numbers on the Bottom of Your Plastic Containers Mean
Turn over a plastic tub from your cupboard and you’ll find a little triangle of arrows with a number in the middle, usually somewhere between 1 and 7. Most of us read it as a recycling instruction. It is partly that. But the number is really telling you what the plastic is made of — and that matters a lot more for the ones you keep food in. What the Number Actually Is It’s a resin identification code. It says which plastic was used, which tells you how it behaves with heat, with oil, and over time. Here’s the short …










