Recycling Symbols Explained

Mobius Loop

The Mobius Loop label is the iconic international recycling symbol that informs users that the packaging material is recyclable somewhere in the world.

Widely Recycled

A widely recycled label shows a white arrow on a green background, with the words “Widely Recycled” clearly displayed below. Products with this symbol on are collected by more than 70% of local authorities in the UK.

Widely recycled labels have sub-labels. These labels look the same but also include additional information.

Widely Recycled – Rinse

“RINSE” can appear on a range of items, including food trays. This label indicates that food residue should be rinsed away before recycling to ensure residue does not contaminate other materials.

Widely Recycled – Rinse, Lid On

“RINSE | LID ON” appears more on jars and indicates that the product should be rinsed and the lids replaced before recycling.

Check Locally

The Check Locally label looks similar to the widely recycled label. However, the traditional green background behind the white arrow is black. This indicates that you should check with your local authority to see if the product can be recycled locally.

Not Yet Recycled

A not yet recycled label is, again, very similar to the Check Locally label. However, this one has a white line going through the arrow. This label indicates that the product can not yet be recycled.

The Green Dot

The Green Dot symbol can be confusing as it does not necessarily mean that the packaging is recyclable. Instead, it is a symbol placed on packaging in a number of European countries and demonstrates that the producer of the product has made a financial contribution towards the recycling and recovery of packaging in Europe.

Glass

This symbols is one of the most self-explanatory and requests that the product is disposed of at a local bottle bank.

Plastic Resin Codes

A plastic resin code, or “Resin Identification Code”, as seen on the right, identifies the type of plastic resin used to make products. The resin is usually defined between 1-7 and can be seen in the centre of the arrows.

Recyclable Aluminium

This label is a reminder than aluminium materials such as cans and containers are recyclable and should be disposed of correctly.

Recyclable Steel

The Recyclable Steel label indicates that steel materials can be recycled.

The ‘Seedling’

This label is a European-wide label that indicates that the material is bioplastic and can be composted by industrial processors.

Paper, Card and Wood

The FSC shown in the label represents Forest Stewardship Council. This means the product is wood-based and sourced from well-managed forests independently certified in accordance with the rules of the FSC.