People are often shocked to learn that plastic is not recyclable with today’s technology and infrastructure. Surely the recycling symbols on plastic mean something? Yes, they do, just not what a reasonable person would assume.

More important than what we can’t recycle is what we can: metal, cardboard and glass. And even more important than recycling a minority of our garbage is composting the majority that is paper, wood, food scraps, and yard trimmings.

According to the definitive study of plastic recycling by the Ellen Macarthur Foundation, based on research by McKinsey & Company, 14% of plastic is collected for recycling, 4% is lost during the recycling process (creating microplastics that are difficult to contain), 8% is “down-cycled” into lower-quality products, and only 2% is recycled into high-value products. If plastics can’t be recycled with today’s technology and infrastructure, why does the plastics industry put a recycling symbol on their products? Well, leading people to imagine that plastic can be recycled is great marketing.

The chasing-arrows symbol was designed in 1970, the first year Earth Day was celebrated and has become associated with recycling in the public’s mind. In the 1980s, the plastics industry adopted the chasing-arrows symbol as a resin identification code (a number and letters). It’s not just by coincidence that they chose a symbol that evokes the idea of recycling; however, technically, they are just helping consumers understand what is in plastic products. If resin codes encourage well-meaning environmentalists to try the impossible task of recycling plastics, the plastics industry is happy to cheer them on.

The resin identification code for plastic is like the main grain in a bread recipe. #1 PET means polyethylene terephthalate, #2 HDPE means high-density polyethylene, #3 PVC means polyvinyl chloride, #4 LDPE means low-density polyethylene, #5 PP means polypropylene, #6 PS means polystyrene and #7 O means other, such as acrylic, polycarbonate, polylactide, polyamides, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene and medium-density polyethylene.

Additional chemicals are mixed into batches of plastic to provide specific strength, clarity, flexibility and other properties. Recycling a mixed batch of plastic is like trying to recover pure wheat flour, cornmeal, oatmeal, quinoa, and rice flour from a dumpster load of unsold bread and pastries.

Why can’t plastic be recycled with today’s technology and infrastructure, but cardboard, glass, and metal can be? What makes plastic resins work is the arrangement of atoms in specific lengths of chains and links. Recycling plastic (and cardboard) is like taking back a bunch of Legos that have been stuck together in a certain way, breaking them apart, and then trying to put them back together the same way. Cardboard is easier because the structures are much bigger and stronger. For glass and metal, the molecules themselves matter more than the way they are stuck together–you just care about the individual Lego bricks, not how they’re put together.

The massive investment required to really recycle plastic would be better spent improving how we manage all of our solid waste. The United States could adopt international best practices and establish a standard for the four types of solid waste every home, school, business and organization creates. In New Zealand, for example, the four kinds of public garbage cans are green for “organic” waste to compost, yellow for cardboard and metal to recycle, blue for glass to recycle, and red for plastic rubbish to landfill.

Rather than “wishcycling” plastic by putting it in a recycling bin, even though almost all of it will just be burned or buried, you can reduce how much plastic you buy. Before Nathaniel Wyeth improved and patented the disposable plastic soda bottle in 1973, food and beverages were packaged in fully recyclable glass bottles or metal cans. Milk was sold in reusable glass bottles that were delivered, retrieved, rinsed and refilled. Disposable plastics are more convenient, but those older packaging materials are better for our health and our planet.

But don’t take my word for it that your plastic garbage can’t actually be recycled. Do your own research. After you’ve learned the bad news about plastic, keep reading for the good news about paper, cardboard, wood, glass, and metal that are compostable and really recyclable.

Fred Horch is principal adviser of Sustainable Practice. To receive expert action guides to help your household and organizations become superbly sustainable, visit SustainablePractice.Life and subscribe to “One Step This Week.”

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