I know, but I'm saying it does mean that. The plastic manufacturer is attempting to communicate "you can put this in the blue bin". You are understanding the message correctly, and it's not your fault that the message is a lie.
The plastics manufacturer can’t possibly control or even know the details of your local waste management system. They’re telling you what the item is made of. Whether your specific municipality has invested enough to recycle that material is not knowable to them.
You are correct. That RIC is a good way to know whether your local waste management system can accept the item.
GP is also correct, in that this RIC could have been a number surrounded by (say) a circle, a square, or a pentagon -- but instead, the manufacturers of plastic deliberately chose a triangle, *because it looks very much like the official "this is recyclable" symbol* as a calculated tactic to rely on people being misled by this similarity.
If most people understood how little of their plastic is actually recyclable, they might re-examine what they buy, and how often.
