Did you know Gary Anderson designed the ♻️ in 1969 for a design competition to promote cardboard’s reusable properties? The iconic symbol is now predominantly used as a “resin identifier” — just telling you what kind of plastic the item is made from. The symbol is so misunderstood that California has banned its use on things that aren’t even recyclable.

But how did we get here?

The design was widely adopted as a symbol for recycling, although never trademarked or established as a true mark of authenticity. People think it means something sustainable but the symbol isn’t really regulated and companies have taken advantage of that. In 1989, oil and plastics executives began a quiet campaign for the symbol to appear on all plastic — making it look recyclable, even if that wasn’t possible. The symbol appearing on all plastics greenwashed the material, making consumers believe that they didn’t have to worry about the waste while encouraging them to keep buying new things.

The truth is, we should reduce our use of plastic even though it’s hard to avoid plastic completely. If you want to recycle correctly, knowing these numbers is important. Remember that what can be recycled depends on individual cities’ programs, always double check what can go in your recycling bin. Typically the best bet is to only put numbers 1 and 2 into the bin (and no plastic bags, plastic wrap / wrappers, or things just coated in plastic).

Source: “The History of Plastic: The Theft Of The Recycling Symbol” by Rudy Sanchez for The Dieline & “Trash or Recycling? Why Plastic Keeps Us Guessing” by By Winston Choi-Schagrin and Hiroko Tabuchi for The New York Times

Design by @bymatthewmiller research by @aveiary for @futureearth