Great plastic mnemonic
It can be difficult to remember which plastics are bad and which are “less bad” in terms of food storage, etc., because of the hormone mimicking and off-gassing properties of plastic. My personal belief is that the less plastic the better, especially when you are talking about plastic coming into contact with food, and I try to use glass and ceramic whenever possible. However, if you are using plastic for food storage, or buying pre-made foods stored in plastic, a great mnemonic device to remember which plastics are okay and which are dangerous is:
12:45 stay alive
367 go straight to heaven
Plastics 1, 2, 4 and 5 are more safe whereas plastics 3, 6 and 7 should be avoided. The number is usually stamped onto the bottom of most plastic containers, often within the 3-arrow triangle that symbolizes recycling (like at right.) Also, plastics 1 and 2 are the most easily recycled in America, although some cities (Los Angeles and Santa Monica are two I know of) are beginning to take all plastics for recycling.
Courtesy of Coop America
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