Editing Resin identification code (section)

== Criticism ==
In the United States, use of the RIC in the coding of plastics has led to ongoing consumer confusion about which plastic products are recyclable. When many plastics recycling programs were first being implemented in communities across the United States, only plastics with RICs "1" and "2" (polyethylene terephthalate and high-density polyethylene, respectively) were accepted to be recycled. The list of acceptable plastic items has grown since then,<ref name=":0" /> and in some areas municipal recycling programs can collect and successfully recycle most plastic products regardless of their RIC. This has led some communities to instruct residents to refer to the form of packaging (i.e. "bottles", "tubs", "lids", etc.) when determining what to include in a curbside recycling bin, rather than instructing them to rely on the RIC.<ref>{{cite web|title=Please Recycle These Items|url=http://rumpke.com/for-your-home/recycling/acceptable-items|website=Rumpke Recycling|access-date=14 January 2016}}</ref> To further alleviate consumer confusion, the [[American Chemistry Council]] launched the "Recycling Terms & Tools" program to promote standardized language that can be used to educate consumers about how to recycle plastic products.

However, even when it is technically possible to recycle a particular plastic, it is often economically unfeasible to recycle it, and this can mislead consumers into thinking that more plastic is recycled than really is.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2020/09/11/897692090/how-big-oil-misled-the-public-into-believing-plastic-would-be-recycled |title=How Big Oil Misled The Public Into Believing Plastic Would Be Recycled|publisher=[[NPR]] |host=[[Laura Sullivan]] |date=September 11, 2020 |access-date=September 13, 2020}}</ref> In the U.S. in 2018, only 8.5% of [[plastic waste]] was recycled.<ref>{{cite news|title="Plastics: Material-Specific Data"|work=[[EPA]]|url=https://www.epa.gov/facts-and-figures-about-materials-waste-and-recycling/plastics-material-specific-data#:~:text=While%20overall%20the%20amount%20of,plastic%20containers%20is%20more%20significant.|access-date=4 December 2020}}</ref>