Editing Resin identification code (section)

==History==
The US Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) first introduced the system in 1988 as the "Voluntary Plastic Container Coding System". The SPI stated that one purpose of the original SPI code was to "Provide a consistent national system to facilitate recycling of post-consumer plastics."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Wilhelm|first1=Richard|title=Resin Identification Codes—New ASTM Standard Based on Society of the Plastics Industry Code Will Facilitate Recycling|url=http://www.astm.org/SNEWS/SO_2008/wilhelm_so08.html|access-date=21 January 2016|work=Standardization News|issue=September/October 2008|publisher=ASTM International|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201125105205/http://www.astm.org/SNEWS/SO_2008/wilhelm_so08.html|archive-date=November 25, 2020|url-status=dead}}</ref> The system has been adopted by a growing number of communities implementing recycling programs, as a tool to assist in sorting plastics. In order to deal with the concerns of recyclers across the U.S., the RIC system was designed to make it easier for workers in materials recovery and recycling facilities to sort and separate items according to their resin type.{{Citation needed|date=October 2018}} Plastics must be recycled separately, with other like materials, in order to preserve the value of the recycled material, and enable its reuse in other products after being recycled.

When a number is omitted, the arrows arranged in a triangle resemble the universal [[recycling symbol]], a generic indicator of recyclability. Subsequent revisions to the RIC have replaced the arrows with a solid triangle, in order to address consumer confusion about the meaning of the RIC, and the fact that the presence of a RIC symbol on an item does not necessarily indicate that it is recyclable any more than its absence means the plastic object is necessarily ''un''recyclable.

In 2008, [[ASTM International]] took over the administration of the RIC system and eventually issued ASTM D7611—Standard Practice for Coding Plastic Manufactured Articles for Resin Identification.<ref>{{cite web|title=Standard Practice for Coding Plastic Manufactured Articles for Resin Identification|url=http://www.astm.org/Standards/D7611.htm|website=Standard Practice for Coding Plastic Manufactured Articles for Resin Identification|publisher=ASTM International|access-date=14 January 2016}}</ref> In 2013 this standard was revised to change the graphic marking symbol of the RIC from the "chasing arrows" of the Recycling Symbol to a solid triangle instead.

=== Possible new codes ===
Modifications to the RIC are currently being discussed and developed by ASTM's D20.95 subcommittee on recycled plastics.<ref>{{cite web |title=Active Standards under the Jurisdiction of D20.95 |url=http://www.astm.org/COMMIT/SUBCOMMIT/D2095.htm |access-date=14 January 2016 |publisher=ASTM International |department=Subcommittee D20.95 on Recycled Plastics}}</ref>

In the U.S. the [[Sustainable packaging|Sustainable Packaging]] Coalition has also created a "[[How2Recycle]]" label<ref>{{cite web |title=How2Recycle |url=http://www.how2recycle.info |access-date=14 January 2016 |publisher=Sustainable Packaging Coalition}}</ref> in an effort to replace the RIC with a label that aligns more closely with how the public currently uses the RIC. Rather than indicating what type of plastic resin a product is made out of, the four "How2Recycle" labels indicate whether a plastic product is

* Widely Recycled (meaning greater than 60 percent of the U.S. can recycle the item through a curbside recycling program or municipal drop-off location).
* Limited (meaning only 20–60 percent of the U.S. can recycle the item through a curbside recycling program or municipal drop-off location).
* Not Yet Recycled (meaning less than 20 percent of the U.S. can recycle the item through a curbside recycling program or municipal drop-off location).
* Store Drop-Off (meaning the item can be recycled if brought to participating store drop-off locations, typically at grocery stores).

The "How2Recycle" labels also encourage consumers to check with local facilities to see what plastics each municipal recycling facility can accept.