Ok, so I heard that the cap for the current 35 Summicron's hood had a habit of getting lost.... but did Leica HAVE to print the triangular "recycle" logo on its inside surface?

-- Charles (cbarcellona@telocity.com), May 16, 2002

Answers

Actually, it probably means that it''s made of recycled plastic. Note how Leica also explains that its instruction manuals are printed by a bleach-free process.

-- Luke Dunlap (luked@mail.utexas.edu), May 16, 2002.

I admire leica for using recycled materials where appropriate, even if they're more expensive. With all the bad chemicals we photographers use, at least we can help the earth in a few small ways.

Of course the real question is, how much $$$ does it cost to replace when you lose it?

-- noah (naddis@mindspring.com), May 16, 2002.

Many countries have laws that require recycling symbols on plastic parts made in their country; in order for the product to be made or sold it that country......There are thousands upon thousands of different plastic compounds.. When different families of plastics are mixed together and melted; it makes an unusable bunch of crap.... proper recycling requires the plastic types be sorted by plastic family type. I placed these plastic codes on the plastic parts I designed over 12 years ago...I wish the recycle symbol could be machine/robot readable...; with a unique symbol shape for each type..; with braille like features so a blind man could sort these plastic types too... Most all plastics today go into land fills...Alot of recycled plastics are all ground up together and used as a filler "meal" for some non-structural stuff.. Kelly

-- Kelly Flanigan (zorki3c@netscape.net), May 17, 2002.

Maybe that symbol means MADE FROM RECYCLED LOST LEICA CAPS :)

-- Karl Yik (karl.yik@dk.com), May 17, 2002.