DID YOU KNOW? The three-arrow recycling symbol doesn’t mean a product is recyclable?

Yes, you read that right. The ubiquitous symbol featuring three arrows chasing each other in a triangle that’s found on myriad products from water bottles to plastic bags doesn’t mean the object is recyclable. There is no standard for use of the symbol.

Last week the California State Assembly passed a bill banning companies from using the symbol unless they can prove the material is recyclable in most of the state’s communities and is used to make new products, reports the New York Times.

Less than 10% of all plastic used in the United States is recycled. 

Maine and Oregon recently passed laws requiring corporations to pay for the cost of recycling their packaging.