The Reality of Plastic Numbers

I have always been skeptical about using using plastics, and more so, for storing/packing foods. It was good to know that quite a lot of people share my concern, but definitely is not good to a point of "blackwashing" and hoax mongering. Such things make even genuine concerns seem not credible and infidel. My reference is to a recent chain-mail (would like to specify "recent to me," as chain-mails keep circulating perpetually and may be years old) about "plastic nos." and the "safety" of using plastics numbered higher.

Although the claims of the mail seemed to be logically quite possible, I thought of doing some research myself and it turned out that the only truth in that mail was "plastics ... are unsafe ..."

The truth I learnt is as follows:
-Plastic numbers or Plastic recycle numbers are originally called as Plastic Identification Codes, OR PICs. They may also be called as Resin Identification Codes.
-The codes range 1 to 7 and they represent the type of plastic:
> #1 indicates polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or pet plastics, used to make bottles for water and beverages, etc.
> #2 indicates high-density polyethylene (HDPE), used to make grocery bags, milk jugs, agricultural pipe, recycling bins, etc.
> #3 indicates polyvinyl chloride(PVC), used to make Pipe, fencing, rain coats, non-food bottles. etc.
> #4 indicates low-density polyethylene (LDPE), used to make plastic bags, disposable gloves, a variety of containers, wash bottles, tubing, molded laboratory equipments, etc.
> #5 indicates polypropylene (PP), used to make industrial fibers, food containers, and dishware.
> #6 indicates polystyrene or more commonly 'styrofoam', used to make plastic utensils, toys, package fillings, video cassettes and cases, etc.
> #7 indicates 'others', which could be nylon, fiber glass (the resin part), polycarbonates, acrylics, and various other plastics that are not classified among the above.
- The main purpose of these numbers is to make it easier to identify and segregate similar type of plastics before recycling them and decide whether to recycle, downcycle, or discard (as land fills)/incinerate them.
- These numbers mean the same in all countries and PICs are to be used internationally.
- These codes do not indicate how often they can be reused, how hard the item is to recycle, or how often the plastic was recycled. It is an arbitrary number and has no other meaning aside from identifying the specific plastic.
- Just because it has a number surrounded by the recycle triangle doesn't mean it will be recycled and hence it is environment friendly (any such claim amounts to "greenwashing"). It all depends on the polymer used, how far it is from the nearest recycling center, in what condition it is received by the recycler, or in general how feasible it really is going to be for the recyling center to recycle it, e.g., most LDPE and PET plastics land in land fills, or even worse get discarded in oceans or incinerated if the recycling center is not around 30 km of its collecting site as the transportation cost will exceed the money they can make by recycling it.
-In such cases (or any case for that matter) it is best to avoid buying such plastics (or any plastics) or items that bring these with them or at least reuse them as long as possible (don't worry all plastics are as safe, or otherwise, as the rest of them.)

I hope with this bit of information folks will be more cautious in selecting and implementing information on net or elsewhere and more importantly will be more responsible in dispensing the information and the plastics themselves.