Here's the Meaning of Those Weird Symbols on Your Tupperware (2024)

FAQs

Here's the Meaning of Those Weird Symbols on Your Tupperware? ›

Most containers have the Tupperware symbol of three arrows forming a triangle with a number in the middle. This means that you can recycle your Tupperware, and it tells you the specific plastic it is!

You're likely to recognize the triangle made of arrows representing recyclable materials, but plastics also have a number from one to seven. Each plastic recycling number is code for the specific plastic that your containers are made of.

Freeze Safe Symbol: The freeze safe symbol, usually depicting a snowflake or a snowflake inside a triangle, indicates that the plastic container is suitable for freezing food items.

Squiggly lines indicate that your container is microwave safe. This symbol can vary a lot, sometimes showing an image of a microwave, or sometimes a dish set below radiation waves, but the squiggly lines are a constant. Squiggly lines mean you can reheat that sucker with ease.

Snowflake-looking symbol? That'll mean that the container is freezer safe. Look for this symbol when you're thinking of storing some delicious leftovers in the freezer (stew, soup and more).

Almost all plastic products bear the general recycling symbol: a triangle formed by three circling arrows. The number in the triangle indicates the type of plastic. There are six common types of plastic and one miscellaneous category with the number 7.

The international symbol for "food safe" material is a wine glass and a fork symbol. The symbol indicates that the material used in the product is considered safe for food contact. This includes food and water containers, packaging materials, cutlery etc.

Plastic food storage containers should be replaced regularly to avoid transferring contaminants from previous use and potential leaks or spoilage of stored food.

Every Tupperware® brand product has a two-part number stamped into it. The first part (before the dash) is the mold number.

According to National Geographic's The Green Guide, plastics #2, #4 and #5 are the safest for repeatedly storing your food. If you reuse items made from plastics #1, #3, #6 and #7 (some Tupperware products are made from #7), you run the risk of having toxic chemicals leach into the contents.

Is Target selling Tupperware now? ›

A 76-year-old staple of door-to-door sales is now selling at Target. Tupperware containers will now be available at Target, in a major shift for the 76-year-old brand.

Most Valuable Vintage Tupperware: Things to Keep in Mind

Marking - Tupperware with the "Tupper" mark tend to sell at a high price, as the insignia was not common for all products. Color - Pink Tupperware, due to its tendency for fading, is another rare find that collectors may look for specifically.

Only use the dishwasher if the plastic containers are labeled “dishwasher safe” and always use the top rack. The bottom rack is closer to the heating element and can melt your containers. Brown says for Tupperware-brand containers, anything purchased before 1979 should not go in the dishwasher.

To know if a plastic container or plastic wrap is microwave safe, you should look on the packaging material for a “Microwave Safe” label. Plastic products with an imprinted microwave symbol can be used in the microwave. This symbol is mostly used on reusable plastic storage containers.

While there is no set timeframe for replacing plastic food containers, experts say they should be tossed out when they show visible wear, chips, cracks, or signs of stains and odors.