Conventional plastic
Polycarbonate (PC)
Polycarbonate is a hard, glass-clear plastic made from bisphenol A (BPA). It's already banned in UK baby bottles, and the EU has banned BPA in all food contact materials, though UK and EU scientists disagree on how low a safe intake is.
By PlasticFreeHome Research Team · Not yet reviewed by an editor · Updated 21 October 2026
- Also called
- PC 7, plastic 7, Lexan, Makrolon
- Recycling code
- 7 (Other)
- Type
- Conventional plastic
- Found in
- older reusable water bottles, water cooler bottles, blender and food processor jugs, some food storage boxes, safety glasses and visors
- Heat
- Avoid hot or boiling liquids, dishwashers on hot cycles, and scratched or cloudy items.
- Recycling in the UK
- Marked 7 (other). Not collected for recycling in UK household collections.
What it is
Polycarbonate is a tough, clear, almost unbreakable plastic. It has no code of its own, so it's marked 7 ("other") in the recycling triangle, sometimes with the letters PC. It's made from bisphenol A (BPA), and small amounts of BPA can move from the plastic into food and drink, more so with heat and wear.
The rules
- Baby bottles: BPA can't be used in infant feeding bottles and beakers in the UK. That's been the case for more than a decade, and most baby bottles sold now are polypropylene, glass, steel or silicone.
- The EU: after its 2023 safety review, the European Food Safety Authority cut its tolerable daily intake for BPA by about 20,000 times, to 0.2 nanograms per kilogram of body weight. The EU then adopted a ban on BPA in food contact materials in December 2024, with a phase-out period for industry.
- Great Britain: the UK's toxicology committee didn't adopt EFSA's figure. It uses a tolerable daily intake set by Germany's risk assessor, which is 1,000 times higher. The Food Standards Agency has consulted on banning BPA and related bisphenols in food contact materials; ministers will decide.
So the science is genuinely contested. What everyone agrees on is that BPA exposure is avoidable, and that reducing it is sensible, especially for children and during pregnancy.
Where it's still found
Older hard reusable bottles, water cooler bottles, blender jugs and some clear food boxes. Newer clear "BPA-free" plastics usually use other polymers, such as Tritan copolyester, or other bisphenols, which are part of the UK consultation too.
How to use it more safely
- Don't put hot or boiling liquids in polycarbonate, and avoid hot dishwasher cycles.
- Retire items that are scratched, cloudy or cracked.
- When you replace a bottle or storage box, choose steel or glass: plastic tubs → glass, bottled water → tap.
Recycling
Polycarbonate isn't collected for recycling at the kerbside. Hard plastic items like old bottles and jugs go in general waste unless your local tip has a hard plastics collection.
Related guides
Sources
- EFSA (2023), EFSA Journal — re-evaluation of bisphenol A in food, lowering the tolerable daily intake to 0.2 ng/kg body weight
- EFSA — bisphenol A topic page, including the EU ban on BPA in food contact materials adopted in December 2024
- Food Standards Agency — BPA in plastic: not allowed in infant feeding bottles; the UK's toxicology committee uses a TDI of 0.2 µg/kg body weight
Swaps involving PC
Bottled water → tap water in a steel bottle
Bottled water carries hundreds of thousands of plastic particles per litre. UK tap water is cheap and safe.
Swap first · about 3.0 kg of plastic a year
Reheating in plastic tubs → glass containers
Heating food in plastic is the single clearest route for plastic particles into what you eat. Glass fixes it.
Swap first · about 600 g of plastic a year