Recycle This Pittsburgh

Plastic Clamshell Containers

About These Items

These containers are prevalent at local grocery stores for everything from strawberries, to herbs, to tomatoes. They are also sometimes used for restaurant takeout containers. While they do help prevent food from being damaged in transit, they aren’t great for recycling.
City of Pittsburgh’s recycling processor no longer takes these containers. Because they are so light weight they may get crushed and mixed in with other items like paper, contaminating other more valuable recyclables.

There is one local hauler that is now collecting these items for recycling, though you must drop-off your items at their location outside the city- see below for details.

Look for ways to cut back on these containers.

Since they can not be recycled by the city, the best thing you can do is to try to avoid these containers.

Look for grocery stores that offer different packaging options. Consider submitting customer feedback to your regular grocery store asking them offer different packaging or non-package options. (You can get reusable produce bags that are lightweight, easy to carry with you, and also provide some of the same benefits of clamshells such as allowing for easy washing & draining of produce.)

Consider carrying a re-usable, collapsible takeout container with you so that you can take leftovers home without using a disposable container like these. If a restaurant you favor uses these containers, you can suggest they switch to a different container product for take-out.

Collect and drop-off for Recycling.

If your clamshells are marked as #1 or #2 plastic, there is one semi-local place you can now drop these items off. Michael Brothers Hauling is collecting ALL #1 and #2 plastics (including clamshells, cups, etc) at their location at 901 Horning Rd. 15236. They also accept (and even pay for) scrap metal. Their drop-off is a drive through.