Gary Anderson, a 23-year-old architecture student at the University of Southern California, rose to fame in 1970 when he won a design contest for a logo promoting paper recycling. His design, three folded-over arrow strips forming an endless triangle, became a globally recognized symbol for repurposing waste materials.
However, it wasn’t until the late 1970s that Anderson saw his creation gain widespread recognition. Walking through Amsterdam one day, he discovered recycling bins stamped with his logo. Since then, manufacturers have used the logo on various products beyond paper items.
Despite the logo’s success, the United States’ environmental agency responsible for recycling efforts, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), believes it’s time to retire the logo from difficult-to-recycle plastics. In April, the EPA requested the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to replace the chasing-arrows logo with solid triangles. This change aims to address labeling confusion and relieve recycling facilities from the burden of handling unrecyclable plastic items.
The chasing-arrows logo has long been viewed as a symbol indicating an item’s recyclability. However, this has led to deceptive practices as manufacturers pair the logo with resin identification codes that do not correspond to recyclable plastics, particularly those with numbers 3 to 7.
Realizing that not all resin codes are currently recyclable in the United States, the EPA argues that the logo’s use on plastic items can be misleading. Many plastics, especially those numbered 3 to 7, are not financially viable to recycle.
Anderson acknowledges that his logo was not intended for this kind of usage. Nevertheless, he hopes the logo can maintain its status as a universal symbol of recycling for other purposes.
Greenpeace, along with over a thousand environmental groups and individuals, supported the EPA’s request to replace the logo. They argue that the misuse of the recycling logo on plastic products contributes to the growing plastic waste crisis.
According to a 2022 Greenpeace study on recycling facilities, only 5 to 6 percent of plastic in the United States was recycled in 2021, highlighting the economic challenges of recycling plastic packaging. This drop in plastic recycling can be attributed, in part, to China’s 2018 policy shift that halted low-grade plastic imports.
John Hocevar, oceans campaign director at Greenpeace USA, explains that the recycling logo misleads consumers into thinking their plastic items are being recycled when, in reality, most of them end up overwhelming recycling centers. This diverts attention and resources from more easily recyclable materials like paper, aluminum, and glass.
The EPA proposes stricter guidelines for companies using the recycling logo, requiring a high percentage of customers to have access to recycling facilities capable of processing the advertised product. The FTC currently mandates a minimum of 60 percent customer access, but the EPA suggests raising the threshold even higher.
Although Anderson understands the concerns surrounding the logo’s usage, he remains skeptical about finding alternatives. His logo draws inspiration from his fascination with the printing press, M.C. Escher’s art, and the Möbius strip, a one-sided geometric shape. Anderson believes that good graphics are simple yet effective, conveying concepts without the need for explanations.
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