You might have noticed a number beneath plastic products and like most people, you would have ignored it. However, this number is of great importance and you need to know what it means.
Number 1:
If you find the number 1 next to the recycling symbol on the bottle, chances are that you have a soda bottle or some drinking water bottle in your hand. The number 1 means that these bottles are safe to reuse.
Number 2:
This number is commonly found under milk jugs or common juice bottles and this number means that these bottles will prevent the leaching of chemicals and these are safe to use a few times.
Number 3:
The number 3 is normally used in bottles that contain DEHA, a toxic material. These are usually soap bottles and oil bottles. You can dump them in local recycle bins and will need to search for special recycling centres in your area to dispose off them.
Number 4:
These bottles are made from the safest plastic around and can be reused multiple times. This is normally found in plastic bags, dry cleaning bags, and sandwich wraps.
Number 5:
Bottles with the number 5 are commonly used in food and medicine containers. This includes common containers, such as ketchup bottles and even drinking straws. This number indicates that they are totally safe to reuse.
Number 6:
This number is normally found in takeaway containers, egg containers, and disposable plates. These are not safe to reuse and get even more harmful once heated.
Number 7:
Usually found on larger water bottles and even some common baby bottles, number 7 plastics should never be reused under any circumstance. They contain BPA, which some researchers suggest can eventually lead to infertility.
Now you know what these numbers on plastic bottles stand for and that they should not be taken lightly.
