Cracking the (Recycling) Code
Just because a plastic item has a recycling symbol on it, doesn’t mean you can recycle it in your curbside recycling program.
Confused? If so, you’re not alone.
The tiny symbols containing a number on your plastic items are called resin identification codes, or RICs. Their design often includes the iconic chasing-arrows recycling symbol.
Wonder why those recycling numbers are often so hard to read? Because they were never meant to be used by you and me. Read on to learn more.
A 2019 survey found that 92% of Americans don’t understand these codes. What’s worse, 68% believe that if an item has an RIC, they can toss it in their curbside recycling bin.
Unfortunately, that’s not true. These codes are meant to identify what type of plastic the material is made of, not whether it can be recycled in your curbside recycling program.
Here’s where it gets even more complicated. The look of plastic recycling codes varies depending on the manufacturer. Sometimes the numbers 1 through 7 are surrounded by the universal recycling symbol; other times, they’re surrounded by a triangle.
Is it any wonder that people who want to do the right thing see tiny chasing arrows or a triangular symbol and assume the item is recyclable? “The recycling logo still gives anything it touches — whether feasible to recycle or not — a green aura,” the online publication Grist writes in a 2024 piece about how the recycling symbol lost its meaning.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, for an item to be marketed as recyclable, at least 60% of consumers must be able to recycle it. But it’s easy to find examples of misleading marketing. Just look at this plastic dishwasher detergent bag. It combines a recycling number 7 — almost never recyclable in curbside programs — with the words “please recycle.”
SMH.
We’re here to help you make sense of it all. At Recycle by City, our household guides take the guesswork out of recycling. We’ll tell you what you need to know about the universal recycling symbol, help you decipher the confusing plastic recycling codes, and most importantly, show you what goes where.
Birth of an icon
It was 1970, the year the first Earth Day was held, and passion for environmentalism was high. In the spirit of encouraging paper and cardboard recycling, a Chicago container company hosted a contest for high school and college students. The challenge: create a design that symbolizes the recycling process.
Gary Anderson, a 23-year-old student at the University of California, put pen to paper. He was inspired, he later told the New York Times, by the printing press, the art of M.C. Escher, and the Möbius loop, a continuous surface that can be formed by twisting a strip of paper and connecting the ends back together to form a loop.
Gary Anderson, right, with the design that quickly became the universal symbol for recycling.
“Good graphics are beautifully simple, and they also work. They convey the concepts that need to be conveyed without having to be explained.”
— Gary Anderson in an interview with the New York Times
The rest is history. With his three-chasing-arrows design, Anderson won the contest (and the $2,500 prize). His creation has achieved icon status — a symbol that says “recyclable,” without saying anything at all.
How a simple message became complicated
Anderson’s graphic, originally intended to support the paper industry’s growing focus on recycling, quickly landed in the public domain. Its use skyrocketed and, starting in 1988, consumers started to see an altered version of the universal recycling symbol in a new place: stamped on plastic.
With Americans purchasing more single-use plastic, the Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (now the Plastics Industry Association) created resin identification codes, or RICs — the numbers 1 through 7 surrounded by chasing arrows. The codes were never intended to show recyclability, but instead to identify the type of resin used to create the plastic item.
But many consumers thought then — and now — that the codes meant a material was recyclable. To paint a picture: these plastic, RIC code-stamped items landed in people’s homes at a time when Americans were being told that reducing and managing waste was an individual, rather than a corporate, responsibility. A popular advertisement at the time packed a powerful emotional punch, with an actor portraying a Native American shedding a tear at the sight of people littering. (“People start pollution. People can stop it,” the ad famously lectured.)
Coupled with industry messaging promoting the recyclability of plastics, it’s no wonder that people spotted what appeared to be a recycling symbol and assumed the material should go in their recycling bins — and that many still do.
RIC codes: Chasing arrows versus triangles
These days, your plastic items may have either the chasing arrows symbol or a flat triangle with a number inside and the abbreviation below. That’s because in 2013, ASTM International, a standards-setting organization, introduced a new RIC coding system. The intent behind replacing the chasing arrows symbol was to reduce confusion over recyclability.
But in the United States, most states still require that plastic RIC codes include the chasing-arrows symbol, rather than a triangle, according to a 2022 report from the Plastics Industry Association.
Seeking better green guidance
There’s no question that making environmentally-friendly products can be a winning tactic. Unfortunately, so can greenwashing, where companies deceptively tout the environmental benefits of their products.
Enter the Green Guides, a set of marketing guidelines created by the FTC. The FTC is in the process of updating its guides for the first time in more than a decade, and the EPA weighed in publicly with concerns about (among other topics) the use of RIC codes that include the chasing-arrows symbol.
“Categorizing plastics by resin identification code coupled with chasing arrow symbols does not accurately represent recyclability as many plastics … do not have end markets and are not financially viable to recycle,” the EPA wrote. It encouraged the FTC to clarify that products and packaging must have a strong end market to be marketed as recyclable.
The FTC says that marketers can make unqualified claims about an item being recyclable if it can be recycled in 60% of the communities where the item is sold; the EPA argues that cutoff should be much higher.
It’s not clear when the FTC will issue updates to its Green Guides — or if those updates will reflect the changes the EPA requested. Also unclear is what impact any changes could have — the guidelines themselves are not enforceable. With scant government oversight of environmental claims, one environmentalist says there’s “no sheriff in town.”
But many industries are watching for what the updated Green Guides say. For now, there’s some movement on the state level. California recently passed a law prohibiting the use of chasing-arrow RIC codes unless the material is collected by local recycling programs that cover at least 60% of California’s population.
Making sense of plastic recycling codes
When it comes to your recycling choices, how should you use plastic recycling codes? Truthfully, we recommend not at all. Don’t worry about the numbers. Instead, look at the shape. Plastic bottles, jars, and jugs are typically recyclable.
Recycle by City’s household guides use photos and visual descriptions, such as the shape and category of items, rather than rely on RIC numbers, to show what is and isn’t accepted in your household program.
Broadly speaking, most programs accept #1 bottles and #2 bottles and jugs, and many now accept #5 plastics like yogurt containers or bottle caps – but again, always check your local guidelines. Here’s a detailed guide to what these codes mean.
#1 Polyethylene terephthalate (PET or PETE)
PET is a clear, durable plastic that is widely used for packaging food and beverages — and often recycled. Plastic water bottles, soda bottles, clamshell food containers — they’re all made from PET plastic. According to The Recycling Partnership and GreenBlue, 89% of U.S. households live in communities where PET bottles, jugs, and jars are accepted for recycling.
Accepted in household recycling programs? Nearly always
Commonly accepted: Plastic water bottles, soda bottles
Not commonly accepted: Carpet, toys, polyester clothing, fleece, plastic clamshell containers
#2 High-density polyethylene (HDPE)
This strong, non-transparent plastic is able to withstand damage from common chemicals, which makes it a material of choice for containing liquids like detergents and cleaning fluids. It’s also often used for milk jugs. Like PET, HDPE is widely accepted in recycling programs, with 89% of households living in communities that accept HDPE bottles, jugs, and jars.
Accepted in household recycling programs? Nearly always
Commonly accepted: Milk jugs, shampoo bottles, bleach bottles
Not commonly accepted: HDPE plastic bags, plastic furniture
#3 Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
This plastic is lightweight and durable. Often used in the healthcare and construction industries, you can also find it closer to home in items like shower curtains and raincoats. But it most likely should not be found in your recycling bin — only 5% of households live in communities that accept PVC in their recycling programs, according to The Recycling Partnership.
Accepted in household recycling programs? Almost never
Examples: Shower curtains, raincoats, medical supplies, children’s toys
#4 Low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
This type of plastic is flexible, lightweight, and translucent and is commonly used to create plastic bags. It’s practically never accepted in community recycling programs for good reason — plastic bags can damage materials recovery facilities. (Only 3% of households live in communities with plastic bag recycling programs.)
Like many other hard-to-recycle items, plastic bags can be recycled when they are collected separately from a single-stream curbside program. Many retail stores have plastic bag drop-off sites for clean and dry plastic bags, which can be turned into new packaging or durable plastic lumber. In the United States, the largest recycler of polyethylene is Trex, which uses your clean and dry #2 and #4 plastic bags to make composite decking.
Accepted in household recycling programs? Almost never
Examples: Plastic bags, snack bags, plastic dry cleaning covers
#5 Polypropylene (PP)
This rigid plastic is used to make everything from bottle caps to margarine containers to straws. With so many different uses for this plastic, recycling program acceptance varies. In recent years, there’s been a big push to increase curbside acceptance of this type of plastic, with The Recycling Partnership awarding grants to materials recovery facilities to help them update their programs to accept polypropylene.
About 55% of households live in communities where PP lids and cups are accepted, while only 3% of households live in communities where PP pods, such as empty K-Cup pods, are accepted.
Accepted in household recycling programs? Sometimes
Sometimes accepted: Bottle caps, bottles, jars, yogurt cups, trays
Not accepted: Diapers, straws, toys, carpets
Pro Tip: Bottle caps are too small to be sorted; keep them on your bottles so they are captured during the recycling process.
#6 Polystyrene (PS)
This material, commonly called Styrofoam, is a lightweight plastic with good insulation properties. It’s often used in takeout food containers or packaging for shipping breakable items. It’s almost never accepted in local recycling programs — only 4% of households live in communities that accept EPS packaging and food service packaging. Polystyrene is now banned in some parts of the United States, but there may be local drop-off options where you live.
Accepted in household recycling programs? Almost never
Examples: Takeout containers, disposable coffee cups, packaging
#7 Other
This is the grab bag of resin identification codes, including every type of plastic or plastic combination not covered by codes 1 through 6, including ‘‘compostable” plant-based plastics.
Accepted in household recycling programs? Unlikely
Examples: Glasses, baby bottles, plastic CDs, toys
Still confused about what goes where? That’s OK. We’re here to help. Recycle by City’s online recycling guides take the guesswork out of recycling.
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