Recycling Symbols Explained
Many products around your home or workplace will have recycling symbols printed on them, but what do they all mean?
Each symbol indicates a different disposal procedure, and knowing what each one relates to can help ensure more materials are recycled. So, what are the recycling symbols and what do they mean? To answer these questions, we’ve put together this complete guide.
The Importance of Recycling
The impact of human activity on Earth’s climate is becoming increasingly clear, and reducing it requires a mixture of strategies, including recycling as many materials as possible. Recycling involves taking items such as drinks bottles, cardboard boxes and tin cans, breaking them back down into their base materials and turning them into something new.
This is crucial as it reduces the need for new materials and prevents large amounts of items from reaching landfill, where they can take hundreds of years to break down and will often pollute the ground in the process.
At Chabrias, we offer a range of durable, clearly labelled recycling bins to help businesses and households effectively separate their recycling.
On Pack Recycling Label
To help improve recycling and make separating materials easier, many products will come with recycling symbols printed or stamped on the packaging. These are called ‘on pack’ recycling labels, but what do these recycling symbols mean?
Recycle
The ‘Recycle’ logo indicates that the item can be recycled and is usually eligible for household collection. It will be sorted and turned into something new.
Don’t Recycle
‘Don’t Recycle’ is used to mark items that are collected by less than half of UK local authorities and cannot be sorted or recycled. These items should only be disposed of as general waste.
Recycle - Rinse
This logo means the item can be collected for recycling but will need to be rinsed first to avoid food residue contaminating other materials. It’s usually found on yoghurt pots and food tins.
Recycle - Lid On
‘Recycle – Lid On’ indicates the packaging can be recycled but the lid should be reattached and the two disposed of together. The lids on some items, such as drinks bottles, are too small for most sorting machinery on their own and will fall through gaps.
Recycle with Bags and Large Supermarket
This recycling symbol is common on plastic packaging such as bread bags, crisp packets and cereal bar wrappers. It notes that the item can be recycled but must be taken to specific locations, such as large supermarkets, where there are appropriate bins.
Recycle / Bottle Cap on / Don’t Recycle / Remove Sleeve
These items can be recycled but the label must be removed and the lid put back on. This is usually because the label is made from a non-recyclable material and needs to be disposed of separately.
Further Symbols
As well as the core recycling symbols, there is a range of other markings designed to indicate specific materials or recycling practices.
Mobius Loop
The Mobius Loop is a general use recycling symbol found on a wide variety of products. It denotes an item that can be recycled but may not be accepted by many local authorities. It can also be used with a percentage in the centre to indicate how much of the material has already been recycled.
The Green Dot
This symbol is often found on packaging in Europe and suggests that the manufacturer has made a financial contribution to recycling schemes across the continent.
Plastic Resin Codes
Different types of plastic are given numerical codes between one and seven to denote the kind of resin used to make them.
PET – widely recycled
HDPE – widely recycled
PVC – not widely recycled
LDPE – Recyclable at certain locations
PP – widely recycled
PS – not widely recycled
Other – recyclable at certain locations
Glass Recycling
The ‘Glass Recycling’ symbol is marked onto glass containers as a reminder to recycle them at a bottle bank or via your household recycling, if they’re accepted.
Paper, Card and Wood
Paper, card and wood products are often stamped with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo, indicating that the materials have been sourced from sustainably managed forests.
Recyclable Aluminium
A lot of aerosol containers, aluminium foil and drinks cans will feature the ‘Recyclable Aluminium’ symbol. This tells you the item is made from aluminium that can be recycled.
Waste Electricals
The ‘Waste Electricals’ symbol is designed to remind people not to place used electrical equipment in waste bins. Instead, these items can usually be recycled via retailers or at recycling centres.
Compostable
There are two symbols used for compostable products. The primary is the ‘Compostable’ logo, which indicates that an item is industrially compostable via your local authority.
Home Composting
The second recycling symbol used for compostable items is the ‘Home Compostable’ icon. This means the item is suitable for composting in domestic compost bins or heaps.
Tidyman
Tidyman is a character commonly printed on a wide variety of packaging. It was designed by Keep Britain Tidy and is simply a prompt to properly dispose of waste, not to drop litter.
Shop Recycling Bins at Chabrias
One of the best ways to simplify your recycling, at home or at work, is to use colour-coded or labelled bins. This makes it easy to separate different materials according to recycling symbols.
At Chabrias, we offer a wide range of recycling bins, perfect for all kinds of recycling and making a practical, stylish and robust addition to any property. Choose from:
Colour-coded bins
Slim recycling bins
Step-on bins
Pedal bins
Outdoor recycling bins
Clinical bins
Medical Bins
Shop our collection and order before 2 pm today for same-day dispatch and free delivery on orders over £30. Any questions, just give us a call on 0121 764 7387, email us at admin@chabriasltd.com or fill out our contact form.