| CONSUMER ALERT: do not mix your food container | | | | "Oh. That's a relief." |
| lids. A yogurt container lid is NOT the same as a | | | | "But the lids are not the same. The yogurt top is a |
| margarine container lid, even if they look the same. | | | | number 4, whereas the margarine top is a number 2." |
| How do I know this? Well, here is my story. | | | | "You mean the lids are not made of the same plastic |
| We live in a very hoity-toity county. Sure, it might | | | | as the containers?" my wife exclaimed. |
| look like just farm country. A lot of the houses might | | | | "Exactly," I replied. "And not the same as each other. |
| seem a little worse for wear. But we are very picky | | | | There must be a reason they use for the yogurt top |
| about what plastic we recycle. We recycle only those | | | | a plastic of such poor upbringing that our recycling |
| numbered 1 and 2. | | | | program rejects it. It might be dangerous to mix |
| In case you did not know, your plastics are | | | | them up." |
| numbered. On the bottom of most containers, there | | | | "That's silly." |
| is a number, usually from 1 to 5. I suppose 1 is the | | | | "Then why else would they need three different |
| best, since anything with a number of 3 or more just | | | | plastics for two simple containers that are used for |
| is not high-class enough for us to recycle. | | | | essentially the same purpose under the same |
| Sooner or later, it was bound to happen. My | | | | conditions?" |
| overactive curiosity got the better of me and I | | | | My wife turned around to leave. "Wait," I cried. |
| emptied the fridge to try to figure out this plastic | | | | "There's more." |
| numbering thing. What else does one do in the middle | | | | "I was afraid of that." |
| of the night when his newborn doesn't want to | | | | "The parfait container has no number. Does that |
| sleep? | | | | mean it's undercover? The lid is a 4, which means we |
| My wife came down to the kitchen. "What on earth | | | | can switch it with the yogurt lid, but not with the |
| are you doing?" | | | | margarine lid." |
| "Just snacking," I replied. | | | | "The parfait container is clear. You can see through it. |
| She scanned the table, covered with yogurt, hand | | | | Maybe they can't recycle see-through plastics." |
| cream, cream cheese, plum sauce, juice, shampoo, | | | | "Exactly what I thought," I exclaimed. "But look at |
| and an empty ice cream bucket. "OK, I'm not actually | | | | your shampoo. It's in a clear bottle, a number 1. But |
| eating any of these," I admitted. "I'm looking for | | | | the matching conditioner, which is not clear, is in a |
| numbers on the bottom to see which of these | | | | number 2." |
| containers is high-class enough for us to recycle." | | | | "That makes sense," my wife assured me. "Maybe." |
| "You are NOT recycling our brand new tub of | | | | "Not really. Number 2 is used in the margarine lid, the |
| margarine," my wife declared. "And that juice jug is | | | | big ice cream bucket and the vitamin jar. Besides, |
| supposed to last us a few more years." | | | | here is another margarine container made of clear |
| "Of course," I said in my most believable comforting | | | | plastic, and it is also a 5 with a 4 lid." |
| tone. "It's just a curiosity thing”. | | | | "This is way too confusing," my wife said. "We have |
| "Oh, one of those," my wife sighed. | | | | a baby to attend to. She just can't seem to sleep." |
| "You see, both the yogurt and margarine containers | | | | "With all our containers mixed up like this, who knows |
| are made of PP." | | | | what the world is coming to," I cried. "No wonder she |
| "PP?" my wife asked. | | | | can't sleep. |
| "Yes, PP. Plastic number 5, also called Polypropylene." | | | | |