[___luigi]

Before reading this article, I thought it was trivial "recycling symbol is used for recyclable items", and "no recycling symbol means that the item is not recyclable", why do they allow them to mis-use it (or mis-use any symbol) in first place?.

[overcast]

Because companies probably found through research, that adding a recycle symbol, increases revenue by some percentage.

[echopurity]

The whole movement to recycle plastic was an industry scam to knowingly profit from destroying the planet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dk3NOEgX7o

[overcast]

While true, that has nothing to do with what I stated. I was referring to consumers being more apt to purchase something that shows recyclable. Subconsciously or not.

[q1w2]

Because different cities have the ability to recycle different types of resin. So the number in the middle of the symbol is used by the recycling plant to separate what can and cannot be recycled.

The ridiculous part is that recycling plastic generates more carbon that making new plastic, and burying it is actually a great way to sequester CO2.

So the entire plastic recycling effort has been discovered to be counter-productive.