> by [19]88 there weren't many products using the recycling symbol on their labels. My understanding[1] is that in the 1970s the paper industry was the first t

> by [19]88 there weren't many products using the recycling symbol on their labels. My understanding[1] is that in the 1970s the paper industry was the first to adopt a three-arrow symbol for paper products that could be recycled and later a slightly different three-arrow symbol for products that were made from recycled paper products. These seem in alignment with consumer understanding of the symbol. I also recall seeing the three arrow recycling symbol on bins at school in the 1980s so it was certainly in use by that point. > I imagine they used the arrows because they are about recycling Had resin identification codes restricted their use of the three-arrow design to plastics that were widely recyclable or products made from recycled plastic then I would have no issue. But some of the resin symbols (e.g. 7) essentially mean "not recyclable" and that is obviously causing confusion to consumers because people keep putting them in the plastic recycling. It's confusing enough that the recycling center near me provides the following guidance: "The numbers on plastics are not great indicators of whether something can be recycled in a typical recycling program. Our advice is to think about the shape of your plastics. If they are clean and empty plastic bottles, jars, jugs or tubs, they are what we are looking for!" > even if they don't mean "this product is recyclable" Using a symbol to mean the exact opposite of its conventional meaning seems liable to cause consumer confusion. [1] https://medium.com/@shengmorni/1970-ad0c58b5a9dc https://medium.com/@shengmorni/1970-ad0c58b5a9dc