Maya Ellison
The Resin Identification Code (RIC) is a technical standard with a set of symbols that appear on plastic products to identify the type of plastic resin used in manufacturing. The RIC was developed in 1988 by the Society of the Plastics Industry (now the Plastics Industry Association) in the United States. The RIC symbol is often mistaken for the recycling symbol, leading to consumer confusion about which plastic products are recyclable. RICs 1 to 6 indicate specific types of plastic, while 7 means a mixture of plastics or a type not in the previous six categories. Understanding these codes is essential for choosing plastics and knowing which types can be recycled.
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What You'll Learn
Resin Identification Code (RIC)
The Resin Identification Code (RIC) is a technical standard with a set of symbols that appear on plastic products to identify the type of plastic resin used in manufacturing. It was first introduced in 1988 by the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) (now the Plastics Industry Association) in the United States as the "Voluntary Plastic Container Coding System". The stated purpose of the original SPI code was to ""provide a consistent national system to facilitate recycling of post-consumer plastics". Since 2008, the RIC system has been administered by ASTM International, an international standards organisation.
The RIC symbol is often mistaken for the recycling symbol due to their resemblance, leading to consumer confusion about which plastic products are recyclable. The recycling symbol, designed in 1970, features chasing arrows to indicate that a product is recyclable. A few years later, in the 1980s, plastic manufacturers began using a similar symbol, the RIC, which features a number inside to identify the type of plastic resin but does not indicate the recyclability of the product. This has resulted in one of the most common misconceptions about recycling, as consumers assume that products with the arrows symbol are recyclable.
To address this confusion, the RIC symbol was revised in 2013 by ASTM International, replacing the chasing arrows with a solid triangle to clarify that the RIC identifies resin types rather than recyclability. Additionally, the American Chemistry Council launched the "Recycling Terms & Tools" program to promote standardised language for educating consumers about recycling plastic products. Despite these efforts, consumer confusion persists, and it is important for consumers to understand the RIC system to make informed choices about packaging options and recyclability.
The RIC system is designed to facilitate the sorting and separation of plastic items according to their resin type during the recycling process. Plastics must be recycled separately with like materials to preserve the value of the recycled material and enable its reuse. While the RIC does not directly indicate recyclability, it can help consumers determine if a product is recyclable and make more sustainable choices.
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RIC symbols and their meaning
The Resin Identification Code (RIC) is a technical standard with a set of symbols that appear on plastic products. These symbols identify the type of plastic resin that the product is made out of. The RIC was developed in 1988 by the Society of the Plastics Industry (now the Plastics Industry Association) in the United States. However, since 2008, it has been administered by ASTM International, an international standards organisation.
The RIC symbols are often mistaken for the recycling symbol due to their resemblance. The original RIC graphic marking symbol was the "chasing arrows" of the Recycling Symbol with a number inside. However, in 2013, ASTM International revised the RIC to change the graphic marking symbol to a solid triangle. The old symbols are still in common use. The different RIC symbols are part of the Unicode block called Miscellaneous Symbols and have the following codes: ♳ (U+2673), ♴ (U+2674), ♵ (U+2675), ♶ (U+2676), ♷ (U+2677), ♸ (U+2678), and ♹ (U+2679). ♺ (U+267A).
The use of the RIC in the coding of plastics has led to consumer confusion about which plastic products are recyclable. When many plastics recycling programs were first implemented in communities across the United States, only plastics with RICs "1" and "2" (polyethylene terephthalate and high-density polyethylene, respectively) were accepted for recycling. The list of acceptable plastic items has grown since then, and in some areas, municipal recycling programs can collect and recycle most plastic products regardless of their RIC.
To address consumer confusion, the American Chemistry Council launched the "Recycling Terms & Tools" program to promote standardised language to educate consumers about how to recycle plastic products. Additionally, the Sustainable Packaging Coalition has created a "How2Recycle" label to replace the RIC with a label that better aligns with how the public uses the RIC.
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RIC and recyclability
The Resin Identification Code (RIC) is a technical standard with a set of symbols that appear on plastic products to identify the type of plastic resin used in manufacturing. It was developed in 1988 by the Society of the Plastics Industry (now the Plastics Industry Association) in the United States. The RIC tells plastic manufacturers what type of plastic a container is made from, but it does not indicate the recyclability of the product. This has led to consumer confusion, with many assuming that the presence of the RIC symbol means a product is recyclable.
The RIC symbol is similar to the chasing arrows recycling symbol, which was designed in 1970 to inform people that a product was recyclable. Plastic manufacturers began using a similar symbol with a number inside, now known as the RIC, to identify the type of resin used. The RIC symbols have since been revised to replace the arrows with a solid triangle, but the old symbols are still in common use and continue to cause confusion.
Despite the presence of an RIC, it is not guaranteed that a plastic product is recyclable. However, the RIC can help consumers decipher if a product is recyclable and make more sustainable choices. For example, plastics with the RIC code 7, or 'other plastics', are not recyclable in normal collections. On the other hand, plastics with the code 1, or PET, and code 2, or HDPE, are widely recycled. PET can be recycled into polyester fabric for textiles, while HDPE is a hard-wearing plastic that can be recycled multiple times into products like garden beds and park benches.
While PVC (code 3) is a durable plastic that is not easily impacted by sunlight, water, or harsh conditions, it is not easily recyclable through normal collections. LDPE (code 4) is a lightweight, less toxic plastic commonly used for food packaging, but it is often only used for single-use applications and is difficult to recycle. Polypropylene (code 5) and polystyrene (code 6) are also recyclable, with polypropylene used in packing tape and microwavable meal trays, and polystyrene used in yogurt containers and bottle caps.
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RIC and consumer confusion
The Resin Identification Code (RIC) is a technical standard with a set of symbols that appear on plastic products to identify the type of plastic resin the product is made from. The RIC was developed in 1988 by the Society of the Plastics Industry (now the Plastics Industry Association) in the United States. The RIC was originally designed with the chasing arrows symbol, which was often mistaken for the recycling symbol, leading to consumer confusion.
The RIC symbol informs plastic manufacturers about the type of plastic used in a container but does not address the recyclability of the product. Consumers assume that the chasing arrows symbol indicates recyclability, which is one of the most common misconceptions about recycling. This has led to ongoing consumer confusion about which plastic products are recyclable. To address this issue, the American Chemistry Council launched the "Recycling Terms & Tools" program to promote standardised language that can educate consumers about recycling plastic products.
The RIC codes 1 to 6 indicate that the plastic packaging is made from one of six specific types of plastic: 1 is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), 2 is high-density polyethylene (HDPE), 3 is polyvinyl chloride (PVC), 4 is low-density polyethylene (LDPE), 5 is polypropylene (PP), and 6 is polystyrene (PS). Code 7 means the packaging is made of a type of plastic other than the previous six or is a mixture of plastics.
While RIC codes provide valuable information about the type of plastic, they do not guarantee that the packaging is recyclable. It is important to note that the term "recyclable" should not be associated with the RIC symbol. Consumers should refer to the form of packaging (e.g., bottles, tubs, lids) rather than relying solely on the RIC to determine recyclability.
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RIC and plastic recycling
The Resin Identification Code (RIC) is a technical standard with a set of symbols that appear on plastic products to identify the type of resin used to make them. The RIC was developed in 1988 by the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) (now the Plastics Industry Association) in the United States. The SPI introduced the system as the ""Voluntary Plastic Container Coding System" to facilitate the recycling of post-consumer plastics. The RIC was designed to make it easier for workers in materials recovery and recycling facilities to sort and separate items according to their resin type.
The RIC symbols are often mistaken for the recycling symbol as they originally featured arrows arranged in a triangle, resembling the universal recycling symbol. However, the presence of a RIC symbol on an item does not necessarily indicate that it is recyclable. Subsequent revisions to the RIC have replaced the arrows with a solid triangle to address this confusion.
The RIC system has seven labels, each with a number surrounded by three arrows forming a triangle. Each label corresponds to a different type of resin and provides information on the type of plastic and how it can be recycled. For example, RIC 1 is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is commonly used for single-use bottled drinks and is widely recycled. RIC 2 is high-density polyethylene (HDPE), used in packaging for shampoo, household cleaners, and some food containers. It is also widely recycled. Other RICs include polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and a miscellaneous category for items like large water bottles, DVDs, and computer cases.
While the RIC system provides valuable information for sorting and recycling plastics, it has also led to consumer confusion about which plastic products are recyclable. Some communities have instructed residents to refer to the form of packaging ("bottles", "tubs", etc.) rather than relying solely on the RIC when determining what to include in a curbside recycling bin. To address this confusion, the American Chemistry Council launched the "Recycling Terms & Tools" program to promote standardised language for educating consumers about plastic recycling. Additionally, the Sustainable Packaging Coalition has proposed a new plastic recycling code system called "How2Recycle", which uses labels with clear instructions on how to treat specific items instead of the complicated RIC numbered system.
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