The recycling symbol is completely, utterly, literally meaningless?!

The symbol is recognized from all over as a way of  doing a good deed for the environment. It is really misunderstood and can be put on…well, anything. You could legally put it on a can of oil, or toxic nuclear waste, or a Hummer, or a jet plane. Like the word “natural,” it’s pure marketing. The only time it means something, of course, is when it specifies what the recycle symbol means: Plastic #1 means something. Recycled Paper means something.

But the arrows on their own? Nothing.

Want to do something that’s actually good for the environment. Here are 5 ways to reduce the impact of plastic.