To dispose of Tupperware properly, check the recycling number on the bottom of the container. If it is a #1 or #2 plastic, you can usually place it in your local curbside recycling bin. If it is #5 plastic (polypropylene), check with your local municipality, as some accept it while others require it to go in the trash.
Yes, you should throw out or repurpose old Tupperware. Experts recommend tossing plastic food containers if they are cracked, deeply scratched, warped from the microwave, stained, or retain odors, as these signs indicate degraded plastic that can leach chemicals or harbor bacteria.
No, it is not safe or recommended to use 40-year-old Tupperware (from the 1980s) to store food. Older plastics degrade over time, posing significant health risks.
Recycle. Generally speaking, you can recycle plastic storage containers in most recycling programs (you just need to know what type of plastic it's made from). You'll see a recycling number if you examine the bottom of the container (or somewhere on the lid).
Yes, Tupperware replaces old, broken, or defective items under their Limited Lifetime Warranty, though the process has shifted primarily to digital vouchers instead of direct physical replacements.
Vintage Tupperware Price Guide: General Value Range
Full sets in difficult-to-find colors can sell for hundreds of dollars. Complete line sets can sell between about $50 to $75. Salt and pepper shaker set may sell for about $50 up to about $200, depending on their condition.
Yes, Tupperware products generally come with a Limited Lifetime Warranty. This covers items that chip, crack, break, or peel under normal, non-commercial household use.
Reselling Vintage Tupperware Containers If you plan to resell your collected vintage Tupperware, be realistic about the prices you set. Complete sets of Tupperware containers (especially bowls) that come in rare colors can be worth hundreds of dollars. However, most other vintage Tupperware items cost less than $100.
Pyrex cannot be recycled in standard curbside programs because it is designed to withstand extreme temperatures, meaning it has a much higher melting point than standard glass jars and bottles.
Several common household and commercial items are not recyclable through standard collection programs, despite appearing to be made of recyclable materials. The most frequent offenders include greasy pizza boxes, disposable coffee cups, plastic-coated paper, bubble wrap, and small electronics.
To tell if Tupperware is vintage, check the bottom of the container for the exact brand logo, specific color palettes, and a two-part mold code. Vintage items typically date from the 1940s through the 1990s, and are highly prized by collectors.
Yes, many pieces of vintage Tupperware (particularly from the 1970s and 1980s) have tested positive for toxic heavy metals, including lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium. These metals were historically used as pigments for coloring.
You do not need to throw away all your plastic containers immediately, but you should stop using them for heating food and replace old or scratched containers.
No, it is generally not recommended to use 1970s Tupperware for food storage, as it poses significant health risks. These vintage items often contain BPA, and testing has shown they can leach heavy metals, including lead, cadmium, and arsenic, into food over time.
Specialised Recycling
Bedsheets & Linen in good condition are often collected in door-to-door collection drives and cash for trash events. Items that don't meet their quality standards may be rejected or sent for incineration.
Most Tupperware and rigid plastic food storage containers cannot be placed in curbside recycling bins. Because they are made of durable, heat-resistant plastics (often Resin Code 5/Polypropylene), they melt at different temperatures than single-use plastics and can jam sorting machinery.
Ziploc-brand bags and other sandwich bags can be recycled with other types of film plastic, including shopping bags, dry-cleaning bags and produce bags. The best place to find recycling centers for these products is your local grocery store. Many retailers offer bins right inside the door that collect film.
According to some researchers, plastic water bottles could take upwards of 450 years to decompose. That's equivalent to 5,400 months, or 21,600 weeks, or 1,971,000 days just for one single plastic bottle to decompose.
Modern Pyrex isn’t as durable because the manufacturer switched the material from highly heat-resistant borosilicate glass to soda-lime glass. This change makes the bakeware much more susceptible to shattering from "thermal shock" (e.g., placing a hot dish on a cold counter).
If your old Tupperware is damaged, stained, or missing lids, keep it out of the landfill. You can mail old containers (any brand) to specialized recycling programs, use them as clever household organizers, or check if authentic vintage pieces qualify for a replacement warranty.
Yes, old Tupperware can be worth money. While most standard, individual pieces usually sell for $5 to $20, complete sets or rare items from the 1940s and 1950s can easily fetch between $50 to $200 depending on their condition and rarity.
Simply look at the bottom of the container and you will see a number surrounded by the sign for recycling. Anything with the number 7 is made of polycarbonate (the category that includes BPA), so those shouldn't be reused. Numbers 2, 4, and 5 are indicators that the plastic container is safe for reuse.
Yes, you should throw out or repurpose old Tupperware. Experts recommend tossing plastic food containers if they are cracked, deeply scratched, warped from the microwave, stained, or retain odors, as these signs indicate degraded plastic that can leach chemicals or harbor bacteria.
Iconic American container brand, Tupperware, has returned to South Africa under a new name, TuppAfrica.
Recycling Symbols
All of the plastic food containers that we examined in our kitchen were branded with the number 5, which means they're made of PP, or polypropylene. That's a cloudy plastic generally considered to be food safe.