The symbol shown below is beginning to appear on more and more items and there is some confusion about this symbol that needs to be clarified. One of the most confusing parts seems to be the recycling category, which is paper. The category “paper” isn’t just newspapers and office paper. It also includes magazines and cardboard. All four of these categories: newspaper, office paper, magazines and cardboard, are made from trees.
According to www.scienceabc.com, cellulose fibers from wood pulp are made into a slurry, treated, dried and pressed through rollers to flatten the paper. It goes without saying, this is an oversimplification of the process, so for more exact and interesting information on the process as well as the history of the invention of paper by the Chinese as early as the 2nd century BCE see the above-named website.
There are three parts to the “how2recycle” symbol.
- The triangle of arrows that indicates that this item is recyclable.
- The word PAPER that indicates the RECYCLING CATEGORY of the item to be recycled.
- The word BOX indicates that THE ITEM TO BE RECYCLED is a BOX made from paper (cardboard).
In summary, the above symbol tells you that the item is recyclable, that the recyclable item to be recycled is a BOX and that the BOX recycles with PAPER.
