This happens in Canada too, the plastics are pelletized as a fuel source

The numbers and symbol is for when facilities do exist, you see the same number system on lithuium batteries and other products.

I have seen hand sorting facilities, it’s labour intensive for sure, but better than drilling more oil to make more plastic.

For stuff with missing number symbol they do spectral analysis, usually after a lot has been sorted by same product.

Vancouver boasts 96% recycle rate, but not all plastic is recycled into consumer products, much of it it pelletized into fuel pellets. These are then sold to incinerator, furnace or heating places as fuel source rather than burning oil or gas. Not ideal, but better than new fuel use.

And yet its how I see it used in Vancouver area by people of different ethnic backgrounds. Walk into Best Buy and ask for something specific, Sikh greeter says look for the brown guy near the iPads.

Little Britain pokes fun of this sceanrio https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrFBBCFrKaY

I watched an in flight movie, I forget what one, but it had a SciFi element like Dune maybe. One scene is fully nude female walking around. The person behind me could obviusly see the screen and called the stewardess over to complain. Stewardess glanced and moved on like she had bigger issues than having a discussion about in flight movies.