Repurposing #7 Plastic Food Containers

I have been ruthlessly decluttering my house in preparation for a move that will occur a little over a year from now. I know it probably seems a bit early, but since I don’t know where we are moving or how we are getting there, this allows me to channel all of my fear of the unknown into something I can control.

When I turned my attention to the kitchen last month, I decided to rid myself of much of the plasticware that survived previous attempts at organization. Mostly, because I wasn’t using it anymore, preferring to use my Pyrex instead. However, whether I was keeping or tossing an item, I decided to find out what type of plastic it was made of. Some of the items did not have the recycling number stamped on the base, so I went to the company’s web site and looked up the plastic type. I was disappointed to discover that some of the pieces were made with #7 plastic. (Read this guide if you are unfamiliar with the recycling numbers). While not all #7 plastic contains bisphenol A, unless it clearly states that it is BPA free, it should not be used in the preparation or storage of food.

I didn’t want to sell or donate items with #7 plastic, because it didn’t seem right to pass on a potentially toxic item. We don’t have a recycling center near us that accepts #7 plastic. And I certainly didn’t want to toss it and have it end up in a landfill, so I put them in a pile in the garage and did nothing. My husband saw the plastic containers in the garage and asked what I was going to do with them. When I told them I didn’t know, he asked if he could have them. He used the smaller ones to sort screws and a larger airtight container to hold his putty and glues. Inspired by my husband’s repurposing I grabbed one to hold my thread: I also used a container to hold my oldest son’s paint tubes and plan to use the last container for his markers.

Since the containers are not holding food items I feel fairly comfortable with them in my home. After all, the keyboard I am typing on is probably made with #7 plastic. (If you are naturally neurotic, forget that I just said that!) When I am ready to remove these items from my home entirely, I am going to follow the The Greens at My Zero Waste’s example and mail them back to the manufacturer.

Do you live near a recycling plant that accepts #7 plastic?  Are you minimizing the use of plastic just in your kitchen or are you trying to remove as much plastic as possible from your home?

This post has been linked to Works For Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family.