Safe plastics and unsafe plastics: know the difference!

When purchasing anything made out of plastic, from drinkware to plastic utensils to pre-wrapped food, the following graphic may be useful:




These tiny symbols are usually engraved into the backside of plastic products. Just remember: "2, 4, 5 to best stay alive."

A triangle without a number in it is within the framework of the code system, too. You can take your guess what it means when the manufacturer does not feel inclined to tell you what material is being used, but I would suspect it is something that the manufacturer would rather not tell you.

Click here for a more-detailed analysis of what these numbers mean.