Plastic Food Storage Containers Recycling Bin Plastic containers should be washed out before they are put in the recycling. Food traces contaminate the recycling process. Don’t Reheat Food in Plastic All plastics contain harmful chemicals that can leach into your food when they’re heated. Before reheating food in a microwave, transfer it from a plastic container to a plate or glass dish. Don’t put plastics in the dishwasher, which uses hot water and steam, wash them by hand with lukewarm water instead. Ways to Reduce Glass and Ceramic Are the Best Options Cut down on your plastic food storage containers by purchasing glass or ceramic food containers, which last longer than the plastic ones. Furthermore, glass and ceramic containers can be microwaved more safely than plastic containers, and you can put them in your dishwasher. Buy Durable Plastic Containers Buy plastic food containers that are durable instead of flimsy ones that will need to be thrown out soon after you buy them. Tupperware offers a lifetime guarantee and will replace broken or damaged items for free, and there’s also Sistema, which makes durable, BPA-free plastic food storage containers. Did You Know? Which Plastics Are Safest? According to National Geographic’s The Green Guide, plastics #2, #4 and #5 are the safest for repeatedly storing your food. If you reuse items made from plastics #1, #3, #6 and #7 (some Tupperware products are made from #7), you run the risk of having toxic chemicals leach into the contents.