The number 5 on a bottle generally refers to one of two things: the type of plastic used, or a traditional liquor bottle size.
#5 PP (Polypropylene):
Safety: Considered one of the safest plastics for food and beverage contact. It has a high resistance to leaching chemicals, making it suitable for repeated use.
A three indicates that the water bottle has been made from polyvinyl chloride, a five means that it's been made of polypropylene, two materials that are not accepted by most public recycling centers. Here are the seven standard classifications for plastics, and the recycling and reuse information for each type.
Polypropylene is ranked at 5 and is safe for food storage. Polypropylene is FDA-approved for food contact and also has a high heat tolerance. It is known to be a safer alternative to most other plastics. It can be used to heat beverages or foods without leaching.
You can recycle: - plastic bottles, trays and containers numbered 1, 2 and 5 only - glass bottles and jars - food and drink steel, aluminium and tin cans - paper and cardboard. Simply place items emptied, clean and loose into your recycling bin.
It is safe to say recycling codes number 1, 2 and 5, are usually accepted by most local councils across Australia but always check the packaging. Just because it has a recycling symbol does not mean it can be recycled through your kerbside recycling bin.
Yes. Polypropylene is recyclable. It's melted and then used to make other new plastics. To identify it, look for the number 5 recycling symbol.
Plastic containers labeled with codes 1, 2, 4, and 5 are generally considered BPA-free. These codes represent materials like PET, HDPE, LDPE, and PP respectively, which have been extensively tested and approved for food contact use.
Polystyrene, black plastics, #3 PVC and #7 PC plastics are the most toxic and hardest to recycle, and as a mission-based recycler, Eco-Cycle supports shifting products to be made from more recyclable, less toxic plastics including #1 PET, #2 HDPE, and #5 PP.
Food-Grade PP (Polypropylene, #5 Plastic)
Polypropylene (PP) is a lightweight and cost-effective BPA-free plastic widely used in water bottle lids and some bottle bodies. It is resistant to heat and does not leach harmful chemicals, making it safe for food and beverage applications.
To make $100 from recycling plastic bottles, you'd need between 1,000 and 2,000 bottles, depending on your local deposit value (typically 5¢ to 10¢ per bottle), meaning around 2,000 small bottles (at 5¢) or 1,000 larger bottles (at 10¢). The exact number varies by location and bottle size, requiring you to collect many bottles to reach your goal.
To make a long story short: plastic recycling numbers 2, 4 and 5 are the safest. Whereas plastic numbers 1, 3, 6 and 7 must be avoided. But it does not indicate that you can fearlessly use safer plastic. All plastic products can leach toxic chemicals when heated or damaged.
Glass Water Bottles - The Top Pick
Glass water bottles are the top choice to reduce exposure. While they're heavier and - of course - breakable, the toxic exposure risk is simply much lower than both BPA-free plastic and stainless steel.
If stored properly, bottled water can last for years without becoming unsafe to drink. Since water itself does not expire, the real concern lies in the bottle's storage conditions. For optimal taste and quality, Eternal Water prints a best-by date of two years from the production date on every bottle.
If you use plastic, choose safer resin codes
#5 PP (polypropylene): Common in food storage containers, deli soup containers, yogurt containers, straws, and other clouded plastic containers, including baby bottles.
Vitamins C and E are antioxidants that can help counter the negative effects of microplastics. Filtered water helps your body flush out microplastics. High-fiber diets help your body get rid of plastic in your waste by promoting bowel movements.
👉 A peer-reviewed study found that polypropylene bags like Ziploc can release thousands of microplastics and millions of nanoplastics per square centimeter (Especially when frozen or reheated in the microwave)!
This plastic tends to be both durable and flexible. It also does not release harmful chemicals into objects, making it a safe choice for food storage. You'll find SPI code of 5 on plastic items made with polypropylene. PP can be recycled, but is not as accepted as PETE or HDPE.
Using 40-year-old Tupperware for food is generally not recommended due to potential health risks from chemicals like BPA, lead, or arsenic (used as colorants in older items) and physical degradation (cracks, scratches) that harbors bacteria, so it's best to repurpose it for non-food storage or display. While vintage Tupperware is durable, it wasn't designed for modern dishwashers or microwaves and can leach toxins, especially when heated or damaged, making glass or newer, BPA-free containers better food storage choices.
#5 – Polypropylene
This is usually found in medical bottles, yogurt tubs, cereal box liners, bottle caps, some ropes and condiment bottles. PP can be recycled into brushes, battery cases and bike racks.
If the container has a #5 on it, it is made from polypropylene, PP, so it is generally considered microwave safe.
You can put plastic #5 containers in your recycling. If a container once held food, empty and scrape the container as well as you can before recycling it. Containers with food and liquids can contaminate whole batches of recycling and are often sent to a landfill.
PP — Polypropylene is noted as the number 5 on the triangle code. This plastic is tough and may be stiff or flexible. Yogurt containers, margarine tubs and medicine bottles are examples of food grade containers made from this plastic.