That viral story about recycling symbols meaning what they actually say? I was the problem.

For years I shared posts that said the chasing arrows symbol meant something was recyclable. I was dead wrong. Last month I looked up the actual resin identification codes on the EPA site. Turns out those numbers 1 through 7 just identify the plastic type. My town only takes number 1 and 2. I had been tossing number 5 containers in the bin for 5 years thinking they got recycled. My neighbor who works at the waste facility finally told me straight up that wishcycling just clogs the machines. Has anyone else found out they were doing this wrong the whole time?

3 comments

3 Comments

josephbailey5d ago

Read an article in Consumer Reports a few months back that said 92% of people think the chasing arrows mean recyclable. I was in that 92% until I actually checked my local waste authority website. They have a PDF that lists exactly what's accepted and it's way stricter than I assumed. My town doesn't take any black plastic at all because the sorting machines can't see it. So yeah, I had been tossing those black takeout containers in the bin for years and they just went straight to the landfill.

spencer_gonzalez13d ago

Best thing I ever did was pull up my town's recycling PDF on my phone and screenshot the whole thing. Saved me so much confusion at the bin. Most people don't realize their local rules are completely different from the next town over.

evan5435d ago

Man, same here... tossed black plastic for years before learning my town's machines couldn't even see it.