By Elaine Leahy
As cooler temperatures arrive, cozy weekends call for a big pot of homemade soup. But when it’s time to scoop out a bowl, do you reach for a black plastic ladle? You may recall media coverage a few years ago about potential health risks associated with black plastic kitchen utensils. As a result, many of us took a second look at our kitchen drawers and replaced those familiar black plastic tools with alternatives made of wood or stainless steel.
Yet black plastic remains common in restaurant takeout containers and food packaging, leaving consumers with limited control over the materials their food comes into contact with. Beyond potential health concerns, these products also create a recycling problem.
Why are toxic chemicals found in black plastic products?
When old electronics like computers, phones, speakers and monitors are recycled alongside other plastics, the chemicals used in those products — such as flame retardants and heavy metals — can end up in new consumer items like food containers, single-use utensils and hot-cup lids.
A 2024 study published in the journal Chemosphere tested 203 black plastic household products, including food containers and kitchen utensils. Researchers found flame retardants in some of these products, raising concerns that the chemicals from recycled electronics are making their way into everyday household items.
What do scientists say are the potential health risks?
Some of the chemicals found in black plastic products have raised concerns among health experts. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences reports that certain flame retardants have been linked to reproductive and developmental problems, hormone disruption and certain cancers. Heat can also increase the likelihood of chemicals migrating from plastic into food and drinks. That is why we’re often not advised to re-heat or microwave our food in plastic containers. While the level of risk from everyday use of these products is not yet fully understood, these findings raise important questions about how recycled plastics are used in food packaging.
Why isn’t black plastic recyclable?
The reason these containers generally aren’t accepted in curbside recycling is simple: many automated recycling machines can’t “see” them. As items are moved along black conveyer belts, near-infrared sorting sensors identify plastics by the light they reflect. Traditional black plastic, often colored with carbon black, absorbs much of this light and therefore goes undetected.
We’ve seen this process in action at the Materials Recovery Facility in Peabody, operated by Republic Services. While quite impressive in so many ways, the technology has its limitations. Black plastic that cannot be identified by the sorting equipment is typically diverted for disposal at landfills or incinerators rather than recycling.
Although newer, detectable black dyes are becoming available, they have not solved the problem across the industry. Massachusetts’ RecycleSmartMA.org guidance still excludes black plastic containers from curbside recycling. However, even if these containers could be recycled, that would not necessarily address concerns about potentially harmful chemicals in the material.
How have other towns handled the issue?
To learn from others’ experience, Sustainable Marblehead has met with members of Swampscott’s Solid Waste Advisory Committee, an official town committee appointed by their Select Board that works on environmental sustainability, waste reduction and plastic elimination.
SWAC, the Swampscott Board of Health and the Swampscott Select Board all recommended that Swampscott adopt regulations for food establishments, which took effect in July 2024. These rules restrict black plastic single-use food containers and certain other materials, and require single-use utensils and accessories to be provided only upon request, for safety, or at self-service stations (popularly known as a “Skip the Stuff” regulation). Swampscott’s approach offers a local example of how a town can tackle waste and potential health concerns together. Several other towns have also passed a ban, including Brookline, Needham, Newton, Hudson, Pembroke and Chelmsford.
How can we address this in Marblehead?
Restaurants and other food establishments often have practical and financial reasons for using black plastic containers, and some may simply be unaware of the concerns. These specific containers can be inexpensive, can hold hot or sauce-heavy foods, and provide a sleek presentation that makes colorful foods stand out and appear sleek and polished.
Fortunately, good alternatives exist. Customers can ask restaurants whether they may use their own clean containers for leftovers, although acceptance depends on restaurant policies and food-safety requirements. If permitted, customers may be able to fill their own “doggy bag” containers at the table, reducing the need for single-use packaging to be provided by the restaurant.
Restaurants can also consider reusable-container programs, such as Recirclable, or switch to alternatives such as compostable, unlined paperboard, aluminum, or suitable clear or light-colored plastic containers. Each option has its own environmental trade-offs, so the goal should be to choose materials that are safe for their intended use and have a realistic reuse, recycling or composting pathway. In the past, federal, state and private grants have been available to offset some potential costs of plastic-reduction initiatives, and further research would need to be done to learn what’s available currently.
Advocacy is another way to make a difference. Sustainable Marblehead has spoken with town officials and restaurants in favor of eliminating black plastic takeout containers, moving towards compostable alternatives, as well as “Skip the Stuff” programs. Most recently, we raised the black plastic issue with the Board of Health earlier this month, as reported in the Marblehead Current. Board members expressed interest in learning more about the health concerns and recycling challenges.
If you’re interested in helping address this issue locally, Sustainable Marblehead is forming a team of adults and students and would love to hear from you. Please email sustainablemarblehead@gmail.com for more information.
Elaine Leahy is executive director of Sustainable Marblehead.
