At present, the Internet has facilitated people's lives. Many people have the experience of ordering takeout online. Open the Meituan, Ele.me and other APPs to place orders directly, and various packaged delicacies will be delivered directly to the door. Careful friends may find that there are triangular logos and numbers on the bottom or side of the plastic tableware. What do these logos and numbers mean?

According to experts, the triangular ring logo composed of 3 arrows means "recyclable", and the Arabic numerals in the middle indicate the type of plastic. Different materials have different characteristics and scope of application. At present, plastic products are sorted from No. 1 to No. 6. Among them, No. 5 is the most commonly used material for takeaway packaging boxes.

The following editor will lead you to understand the difference behind these plastic tableware numbers.

No. 1: PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate)

Due to its high transparency, it is mostly used in mineral water bottles and carbonated beverage bottles. This material is not resistant to high temperature. When the temperature exceeds 70 °C, it will deform and dissolve substances harmful to the human body. Therefore, it cannot be used repeatedly, and it should not be used for high-temperature food or for heating.

No. 2: HDPE (High Density Polyethylene)

Compared with No. 1, the transparency is poor, and it is often used in milk bottles and dairy beverage bottles, but the temperature resistance is higher than that of No. 1, which can reach 110 °C, so it can be scalded with hot water to warm it for drinking.

No. 3: PVC (polyvinyl chloride)

It is easy to produce two kinds of toxic and harmful substances, and it is less used for packaging food now.

No. 4: LDPE (low density polyethylene)

The most widely used is plastic wrap, which is much safer than No. 3. It can be used to wrap cooked and hot food, but the temperature should not be too high, because when it is heated to 110 ℃, there will be a hot melt phenomenon, and the harmful substances in the material will be was dissolved out. So when heating food in the microwave, be sure to remove the plastic wrap first.

No. 5: PP (polypropylene)

The temperature resistance can reach 130°C. Due to its high temperature resistance, high hardness, and stability to organic solvents and oils such as acids and alkalis, it is mainly used in microwave lunch boxes, plastic cups for drinking water, disposable lunch boxes, and in takeaway tableware. The most widely used, it is the only plastic lunch box that can be directly put into the microwave oven. At present, all PP can be regarded as food grade, and will not dissolve harmful substances under normal and high temperature conditions.

No. 6: PS (polystyrene)

It is mainly used to make bowls of instant noodle boxes and foamed fast food boxes. Some stores will be used to sell rice fast food, but when the temperature is too high, chemical substances will be precipitated.

While disposable tableware has brought convenience to our lives, many people will also have some concerns-disposable plastic tableware is used for takeaway food. Are these plastic tableware safe and hygienic?

More Internet rumors, these plastic tableware will release plasticizers, bisphenol A, dioxins, heavy metals and other harmful substances. Often eating food packaged in plastic utensils can be harmful to the body.

But that's not the case.

For qualified disposable plastic tableware produced by regular manufacturers, we don't have to worry too much about its safety. However, it is not a good choice to eat takeout often, for example, it is difficult to guarantee the nutritional balance and hygiene.

The misuse of plastic tableware also brings permanent pain to our living environment. At the beginning of 2020, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued a new "plastic restriction order" and introduced many new regulations for the catering industry. From the end of 2020, disposable plastic straws, tableware and non-degradable plastic bags will gradually bid farewell to our lives.