The Truth About the ‘Recyclable’ Triangle at the Bottom of Your Plastic

About ten years ago, I found myself growing increasingly frustrated every time I saw Styrofoam in our recycling bin. I was born caring deeply for the Earth, and it just didn’t make sense to me—how could anyone think this trash belonged in recycling? I assumed it must be a confused neighbor. Surely, it couldn’t be my partner. He knew how important recycling was to me.

But then one day, I caught him in the act. Gently, I asked why he thought Styrofoam was recyclable. He looked at me, shrugged, and said, “Well… it has the triangle on the bottom. Doesn’t that mean it’s recyclable?”

There it was: wish-cycling in action—before we even had a word for it.

The Myth of the Triangle

That little triangle at the bottom of your plastic container is one of the most misunderstood symbols in the world. It looks official. It looks promising. It looks… green. But in reality, it’s not a recycling symbol. It’s a resin identification code created by the plastics industry in 1988—not to guide consumers on recycling, but to help sort plastics by chemical composition.

There are seven categories of plastic, and here’s the kicker: just because there’s a triangle doesn’t mean it’s recyclable in your city—or at all.

Here’s a breakdown:

1. PET or PETE (Polyethylene terephthalate):

   • Think: water bottles.

   • Easily recycled—up to 7 times. A sustainability star.

2. HDPE (High-Density Polyethylene):

   • Milk jugs, detergent bottles.

   • Also highly recyclable.

3. PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride):

   • Pipes, some packaging.

   • Rarely recyclable and contains toxic chemicals.

4. LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene):

   • Plastic bags, some wraps.

   • Difficult to recycle in curbside systems.

5. PP (Polypropylene):

   • Yogurt containers, deli trays.

   • Technically recyclable, but restricted. Post-consumer products using it can legally only contain 25% recycled content due to chemical leaching concerns.

6. PS (Polystyrene or Styrofoam):

   • Disposable coffee cups, takeout boxes.

   • Not recyclable. Period.

7. Other (Catch-all):

   • Cutlery, mixed plastics.

   • Not recyclable.

     
     

Worse yet, within each category, there are countless proprietary blends of plastic. That means Coca-Cola’s bottle might not chemically match Nestlé’s, even if they’re both labeled #1. These differences make large-scale recycling incredibly challenging—often impossible.

What Now? From Triangle Myths to Real Solutions

Instead of wish-cycling, we need real systems—and I’ve seen examples of hope.

At Milwaukee Brewers Stadium, a partnership with SC Johnson collects plastic beer cups and transforms them into Scrubbing Bubbles bottles. Amazing! But I have a bigger question: what next? Can those bottles become stadium seats? Picnic tables? Highway markers?

What if we expanded this model to cities? A closed-loop collection system: fixed bins, trained staff, reliable sorting, and circular reuse. Schools could partner in sorting. Companies could reclaim their own packaging. It sounds radical, but it’s entirely possible.

We already have proof of success. Take Pick ‘n Save and Target’s plastic bag drop-off programs. They were so effective that the systems couldn’t keep up with demand. That’s not failure—it’s powerful evidence of public will.

Imagine if we did the same for proprietary packaging. What if manufacturers saw that consumers are ready—and hungry—for change? What if we stopped pretending the triangle meant something and built a system that actually did?

Decision Matrix Coming Soon

I’m currently working on a decision matrix to help you understand what goes where—and why. Because recycling shouldn’t feel like a puzzle with missing pieces.

It’s time to move beyond the triangle.

Let’s stop asking, “Is this recyclable?” and start asking, “What system do we need to make this work?”

Because caring for the Earth isn’t just about symbols. It’s about systems—and action.