{"id":24880,"date":"2025-07-01T22:52:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-01T22:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/?p=24880"},"modified":"2025-07-01T22:52:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-01T22:52:09","slug":"pfj-2025-better-or-worst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ecocycle.org\/pfj-2025-better-or-worst\/","title":{"rendered":"For Better or for Worse Plastics: Which Ones to Avoid"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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If you’ve ever flipped over a yogurt container or a takeout box, you\u2019ve probably seen the little triangle made of arrows\u2014the \u201cchasing arrows\u201d symbol\u2014with a number inside. For many of us, it\u2019s become shorthand for \u201crecyclable.\u201d Toss it in the blue bin and move on, right? Not quite. This common assumption is one of the biggest recycling myths out there.<\/em><\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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That triangle on the bottom of your plastic bottle doesn’t actually mean it\u2019s recyclable.<\/strong> It refers to the type of plastic resin used to make the product. A resin is essentially the raw, melted-down plastic material that gets molded into bottles, bags, wrappers, and clamshell containers.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The Truth About the Chasing Arrows Symbol<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Resin Identification Code (RIC) system<\/a> was developed in 1988 by the Society of the Plastics Industry (now the Plastics Industry Association)\u2014not by an environmental or governmental agency. It was originally intended to help plastics manufacturers and recyclers distinguish between different kinds of plastic<\/a>, not to guide consumers on what could go in the recycling bin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, the use of the \u201cchasing arrows\u201d symbol on plastic products has led to widespread confusion. Many plastics bearing the symbol can\u2019t actually be recycled in most curbside programs. To address this, California passed Senate Bill 343<\/a> in 2021, banning the use of the recycling symbol on products <\/strong>unless they\u2019re regularly collected and processed for recycling in the state.<\/p>\n\n\n

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The \u201cBetter\u201d Plastics <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nearly all plastics are made from fossil fuels\u2014primarily oil and gas<\/a>\u2014and the process of extracting them and producing plastics exacerbates both the climate crisis and public health risks<\/a>. That\u2019s why avoiding plastic whenever possible is the best choice. Still, not all plastics are equally harmful<\/strong>\u2014some are considered less harmful to human health and are more commonly recyclable, especially when they\u2019re clean and properly sorted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n