I regularly sort my containers, and only save them clean, dry and with lids.
Sounds neurotic, I know - but it is the only way to be sure I have what I want when I need it.
I recycle them, good quality ones to op shops and the rest to recycle bin.
I have a one litre container I bought 1977 for a trip across the Nullarbor and still in use. It’s not the latest type of food plastic, but still in excellent condition.
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Yes, in one drawer and one cupboard.
Are there many missing lids? No, all the lids are kept in the one container in both the drawer and the cupboard.
Usually when moving, only throw out the container/lid if it is completely unusable without the other.
Tupperware, like other comments, if it breaks you get it replaced.
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These days we only purchase/use Decor clear tubs and Sistema plastic clip lock. Some are more than 10 years old. None of the Tupperware tubs have lasted more than 5 years. Trick is to store food in them not cook food in them - exception below. We rarely if ever dishwash the tubs. Decor also make microwave cook pots and these are very good and will dishwash top shelf easliy. If a lid is broken the bottom is generally repurposed but breakages are rare. We store nested on a shelf by size and with lids together (in the tub). We have examples of all sizes in each brand - the stackability in the fridge is important to us. We generally purge when we move but since we don’t move often a rethink every 3 years is generally what happens. I have found the ‘flat’ Decor boxes esp. useful for chargers, cables, little camera bits and bobs and ‘man toys’ - they stick neatly in a shelf and you can see what’s inside easily. Cheap, too.
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"Do you keep them all in one place and if so where? " - Yes, in a drawer.
“Are there many missing lids?” - No, only a few, but many extra lids, some that don’t fit anything.
“Have you ever had a good clear-out …” - Periodically, but obviously not sufficiently frequently.
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I have resisted replying to this topic as plastic containers annoy me, but seem like a necessary evil.
- my perception is they are not safe in a dishwasher, never seen one survive more than a few months without surface cancer so I just don’t anymore.
- absorbing colour, especially from things like spagbol/etc - I don’t typically use products with added colours/etc so maybe this is another perception but plastic seems to take on colour. Maybe tomatoes are just great colour enhancers?
- my plastic storage drawer is the biggest in the kitchen and its much the same as one of those enclosures kids play in full of multi-coloured balls - you simply have to dive in to find the stuff you want and the drawer often binds and rarely closes. Can I find all the lids to the containers? not a chance. Do they break? hell-yeah, especially when the drawer wont close
- I clean out the crap regularly. I don’t believe there is such a thing as good quality plastic, but in this arena my patience is small to nothing so my experience is probably not that of a patient and organised person.
- life is too short to care about plastic … except to avoid its use wherever possible …
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The orange-red colour in tomatoes is lycopene which is soluble in fats and oils but not water. In your spagbol the fat goes bright red because you have been doing solvent extraction by boiling tomato pulp in a mix of water and fat, the colour migrates to the fat in preference.
My guess is that plastic takes up the colour because there is a thin coating of oil on it or in micro-cuts on the surface. It may adsorb directly on to the plastic but I am unsure of that. It would take some study to work out exactly what is happening. Lycopene may be unsightly but it is harmless and edible.
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Hi Kim,
Interesting topic!
My 1/2 dozen plastic containers with lids are stored in a small box in a cupboard.
I keep only those that are freezer and microwave safe, and have had a few for over 10 years.
Any soft plastic ones go into the recycling bin.
For fridge storage I use glass jars, easy to see the contents and no colour or odour absorption.
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Plastic is also curmudgeonogenic, it causes bad temper, ranting and impatience.
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We have a collection of approx 30 plastic containers, all with lids.
We used to reuse the cheap Chinese take away containers, but rarely acquire any these days.
The lids now seam to outlast the containers. Sistema or Decor.
Tupperware there are a few set aside for large cakes. Their lids all shrink over time and become brittle. Not a great product IMO.
All the regular use ones are loosely stacked in bundles on a low cupboard shelf opposite the sink. The others are variously hidden In the pantry, some with stuff in them.
We’ve also learnt that microwave safe plastic storage containers is a euphemism for place to store stuff you need to keep in the fridge, Safe only for one off use in the MW. The saved contents is always emptied into another container (Pyrex or MWS chinaware) prior to reheating in the microwave or on the stove top.
We also have 3 approx 20 year old microwave cooking containers (cream coloured plastic, two with clear lids) that have stood the test of time. Mostly used to cook vegetables, no fats or oils. They live with the Pyrex bowls and dishes. No brand ID to report.
Once every few years any the wise one determines inappropriate for the kitchen are recycled to the garage or for gardening assistance.
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It will be interesting to see if the Choice article about plastic containers will include microwave safe ones.
There’s conflicting advice about those being used to reheat in the MW.
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We have a set consisting of several stackable round bowls of various heights and a lid.
We use them regularly to parcook the roast potatoes in some water in the microwave prior to roasting them in the air fryer.
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It’s certainly worthy of assessment.
It’s an aside to the topic, but seems to relate to how we use these storage containers and one of the reasons they become useless for the intended purpose. I will not say it’s a con calling most clear plastic storage containers MW safe. It is highly suspect marketing, perhaps backed by a - passes test under the following conditions and a note your kitchen may vary from our laboratory.
Our observation suggests that if what the EMR is heating is water H2O (water molecules) the contents can only ever reach a temperature of 100C. One test would be the stability of the container with exposure to steam at 100C.
Some food products seam to trap moisture and hence the steam, which can rise above 100C. The actual frequency and outcomes who knows. Perhaps IR photography holds the answer?
Generally damage or degradation of plastic supposed micro wave safe meaning suitable for use in a microwave plastic - has been associated with foods contains fats or oils. This includes cheese, butter, cooking oils, meat fats, aromatics. These obviously heat to temperatures sufficiently great to cause melting or blistering of the plastic container walls. Another great use for an IR Camera in the test kitchen. Just how hot does last nights spagbol get when bring reheated? At what contact temperature does the food in the MW container start to affect the plastic of the container?
There are obviously test standards used by the industry and manufacturers. I just wonder why they deliver substandard products. Choice had a history of testing products based on real world use, not just an industry lab rats view of the world. 
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All my tupperware have gone to recycling - I think they lasted just as long as the agent who sold them to me! Freezer-safe was a joke.
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I store plastic containers with their lids on. Saves time. All in a deep kitchen drawer. Had a couple of Tupperware cereal containers with only one lid needing replacement approximately 20 years ago. Their lids are too soft. I now find ‘Sistemic’ easier to open and close than ‘Decor’.
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I can’t think what went wrong? I even have an old Tupperware slice container of my mums that I use regularly that still seals well and keeps things fresh.
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Poor quality plastic, they shrank and cracked in the fridge.
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I now store most food in glass jars of various sizes.
Stored in one place, cupboard near fridge.
Missing lids…yes! 3. I thought this only happens to me
Don’t throw out ones I don’t use regularly. The ones with missing lids are still used to hold defrosting food in the fridge or to store things in, in cupboards or shelf.
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I was always admonished to never put uncovered foods in the fridge, so went looking for a resource. The ‘gold standard’ could be
yet in addition to stating Avoid storing food uncovered in the fridge as this can lead to cross-contamination it also includes '…high-risk foods such as milk, seafood, raw meat, eggs and even cooked rice and pasta, should never be stored in the door of the fridge.’
That last one must be why virtually every fridge is designed to store bottled products such as milk on the door. 
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We also have a Komax Biokips container which somehow appeared in our home.
It is a US brand and must have been designed on Fort Knox with a gasket and clips on all 4 sides.
There does not appear to be any mainstream retailers of the brand in Australia.
It is certainly much sturdier than both the Decor and the Sistema products.
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Grated carrots stain too - gets right into the plastic, and feels rough
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