The 1 inside the triangle on the bottom of a plastic bottle is a Resin Identification Code. It means the bottle is made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate), the clear, tough plastic used for nearly every water and soda bottle. The code tells a recycler what the plastic is. It is not, by itself, a promise that the bottle is recyclable where you live, although PET bottles are accepted in almost every U.S. recycling program.
Where the numbers came from
The Society of the Plastics Industry created the Resin Identification Code system in 1988 to help recycling facilities sort plastics and to give manufacturers one uniform marking. The group is now the Plastics Industry Association. In 2008 it began handing the system to ASTM International, which first published it as standard D7611 in 2010. The current version is ASTM D7611/D7611M-26, updated in July 2026.
In the 2013 revision, ASTM replaced the chasing-arrows symbol with a solid equilateral triangle. The reason was confusion: people read the arrows as “recyclable.” The standard now says it plainly: “Resin Identification Codes are not ‘recycle codes.’” Many products still carry the older arrows, so you will see both.
The seven resin codes
| Code | Plastic | Common products |
|---|---|---|
| 1 PET or PETE | Polyethylene terephthalate | Water, soda, juice and sports-drink bottles; food jars; ovenable trays; polyester fiber |
| 2 HDPE | High-density polyethylene | Milk jugs, detergent and shampoo bottles, grocery bags |
| 3 V or PVC | Polyvinyl chloride | Blister packs, clamshells, shrink wrap, pipe |
| 4 LDPE | Low-density polyethylene | Bread and produce bags, stretch film, squeeze bottles |
| 5 PP | Polypropylene | Yogurt tubs, takeout containers, medicine bottles, caps |
| 6 PS | Polystyrene | Foam cups and plates, meat trays, packing peanuts |
| 7 Other | Any other resin or a multilayer mix | Multi-material packaging, some reusable water jugs |
Product examples from the American Chemistry Council’s resin guide. Code names as listed in California Public Resources Code 18015.
What #1 PET actually is
PET is clear, tough and a good barrier to gas and moisture, which is why it holds carbonated drinks without going flat. It is the same polymer the textile industry calls polyester. Chemically it is a chain of two building blocks, terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol, joined over and over.
Since the 2020 revision of ASTM D7611, a product can only carry the 1 if its PET melts within a set temperature range. Recyclers care because low-melting or non-crystallizing PET turns sticky in their dryers and weakens recycled bottle resin.
Is a #1 bottle recyclable?
Usually, yes. NAPCOR, the PET industry’s trade group, says PET bottles are “accepted in virtually all US recycling programs.” A national access study by the Sustainable Packaging Coalition found that 87 to 88 percent of U.S. residents can recycle PET bottles, curbside or at a drop-off. Access is much lower for other PET shapes: about 54 percent for clamshells, tubs and trays, and 52 percent for PET cups.
Access is not the same as collection. In 2024 the U.S. collected only 30.2 percent of the PET bottles available for recycling.
The triangle is not a recycling promise
Federal and state rules treat the symbol carefully:
- FTC Green Guides. A resin code molded inconspicuously into the bottom of a container is not a recyclable claim. The same code printed prominently on the label is. An unqualified “recyclable” claim needs recycling access for at least 60 percent of consumers. The Guides have not been updated since 2012; a review opened in December 2022 is still pending.
- California SB 343. The law treats a chasing-arrows symbol, including arrows around a resin code, as deceptive unless the item meets the state’s recyclability criteria. A resin code inside a solid triangle is allowed. Compliance was set for products made after October 4, 2026, but on July 14, 2026 a federal court preliminarily blocked enforcement in California League of Food Producers v. Bonta. How far that order reaches is still being argued.
What happens to #1 bottles that get recycled
Recycled PET becomes clothing and carpet fiber, fiberfill, strapping, food and non-food bottles, and thermoformed packaging like cups and takeout containers. New bottles are now the largest market: more than 60 percent of recycled PET sold domestically in 2024 went into bottle applications.
Color matters. Clear PET is the most valuable recycled stream. Green is second. White and opaque PET is rated “detrimental to recycling” by the Association of Plastic Recyclers because its pigment cannot be removed and hazes the recycled resin.
And the ones that don’t
EPA’s most recent national data, for 2018, counted 3.13 million tons of PET bottles and jars. About 910,000 tons were recycled (29.1 percent), 440,000 tons were burned for energy, and 1.78 million tons, roughly 57 percent, went to landfills.
Why we care about the 1
PET is the only plastic our enzyme breaks down, and the dyed, dirty and mixed grades that recyclers can’t sell are exactly the feedstock we want. Our logo is a fuel drop carrying the 1 for that reason. See how we turn PET into ethanol.
Common questions
Is PETE the same as PET?
Yes. Both stand for polyethylene terephthalate. ASTM D7611 allows either abbreviation under the number 1.
Does the recycling symbol on a bottle mean it is recyclable?
No. The number inside the symbol only identifies the resin. ASTM, which maintains the standard, states that resin identification codes are not recycle codes. Whether an item is recyclable depends on your local program.
What is #1 plastic made into after recycling?
Mostly new bottles, which took more than 60 percent of recycled PET sold in the U.S. in 2024, plus polyester fiber for clothing and carpet, fiberfill, strapping and thermoformed containers.
Sources
- ASTM D7611/D7611M-26, Standard Practice for Coding Plastic Manufactured Articles for Resin Identification
- ASTM, Plastics Committee Releases Major Revisions to Resin Identification Code Standard
- ANSI Blog, ASTM D7611-20: Change to Resin Identification Code Standard (2020)
- American Chemistry Council, Plastic Packaging Resins
- NAPCOR, 2024 PET Recycling Report (Dec 10, 2025)
- NAPCOR, Products Made from Recycled PET
- Sustainable Packaging Coalition, 2020-21 Centralized Study on Availability of Recycling
- FTC Green Guides, 16 CFR 260.12
- California SB 343 (2021), chaptered text
- CalRecycle, Accurate Recycling Labels (SB 343 status)
- Association of Plastic Recyclers, Design Guide: PET Rigid
- U.S. EPA, Advancing Sustainable Materials Management: 2018 Tables and Figures