A (mostly) scientific ranking of takeout containers – from worst to best for the environment

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By Amanda Schupak, The Guardian. 

Excerpt: ...Here’s our (mostly) scientific ranking, from worst to best. 7. [worst] Compostable serveware. ...6. Some plastic and paperboard packaging ...Some plastics used in food service containers, such as number 6 (polystyrene), generally are not recyclable. Nor are soft plastics, like film labels and straws.... 5. Clear, rigid plastic boxes, cups and clamshells The same goes for classic Chinese takeout boxes and similar containers, since they’re coated with plastic to prevent leaking. ...But among different types of plastics, those with a number 1 (PET or PETE) or 2 (HDPE) inside the chasing arrows ...are more valuable to recyclers than plastics with higher numbers. Widely used number 5 (polypropylene or PP) plastics are becoming more recyclable and valuable, too. ...4. Recycled containers ...Containers made from recycled materials are better than ones that aren’t. ...3. Aluminum boxes ...there’s a robust market for recycled aluminum ...The tops add a trickier dimension. Number 1 or 2 plastic lids are recyclable, whereas a cardboard lid that’s white on top and metallic on the bottom probably isn’t, by dint of being made of two materials that are impossible to separate. ...2. Paper and foil wraps, pizza boxes ...(Pro tip: if your [pizza] leaked a lot of oil, rip off the top for recycling and put the greasy [cardboard] in the trash.) ...1. Reusable containers ...The break-even point could be as little as two uses, or more than 100.... 

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