Each of the countries around the world generates tons and tons of waste each year. If proper measures are not taken, this huge amount of waste will consume our land, water, and forests. This will not only affect our food production but also destroy the environment and the ecosystem. Therefore, recycling is the need of the hour. However, for creating a proper recycling system, understanding the recycling symbols is a must.
If you are not well aware of recycling symbols and what they mean, this blog can help you out. It will help you identify the major recycling symbols in no time. Stay till the end.
Table of Contents
What is Recycling?
Recycling is the process where waste and thrown-away materials are reused to make new materials and objects. In the recycling process, the first step is collecting waste materials. Then they are turned into new products, for example, planters, rugs etc. After that, people purchase those products. The collected materials are usually paper, glass, iron, steel straps, aluminium can, fabric, wood and plastic.
Recycling is the best practice for reducing solid waste dumped in landfills. In addition, recycling helps reduce the increase of harmful materials like plastic and promotes a healthy environment.
How does Recycling Help?
For protecting our environment, recycling is a great option. It has many benefits that are not only good for the environment but also for the economy. Here is a list of how recycling can be helpful.
Natural Resource Conservation
Everything has limits, and so do the resources of the planet earth. Recycling helps in conserving natural resources. Receiving paper products and wood helps in saving trees and forests.
When we recycle metals, that reduces the need for mining new metal ores, which saves natural resources, mining expenses and mining risks. We need sand to produce glass, and there is a certain type of sand that is used for making glass. This certain variation of sand is running low. Therefore, recycling glass can prevent this shortage.
Conserving Ecosystem and Wildlife
If people pay more attention to recycling, we can reduce the need for growing and extracting materials from nature. Thus, fewer forests will be cut down, and fewer animals will be displaced. Also, the amount of environmental pollution will decrease. Hence, wildlife can thrive without disruptions.
On top of that, recycling plastic will reduce the amount of plastic waste that is washed into rivers and seas. This strategy will reduce the pollution in coastlines and waterways and prevent the ecosystem and aquatic animals from further damage.
Reducing Demand for Raw Materials
Recycling reduces the pressure on new raw materials. As a result, it helps reduces deforestation and water pollution. Therefore, the communities depended on the forests and rivers will be protected.
Saving Energy
Making new products from raw materials require more energy than recycling old products. Sometimes the difference is quite a lot. For instance, making aluminium from new materials can take up to 95% more energy than producing it with recycled materials.
Cutting Down Carbon Emissions
When we use recycled materials, it takes less energy to make the product. Thus, it provides a lower rate of carbon emissions. Along with that, recycling reduces the methane-releasing waste people dump in landfills.
Creating Employment Opportunities
For the growing population, we need more employment opportunities. The recycling sector can play a significant role in creating more jobs. From collecting the waste to producing new products, there are many stages in between. These stages require a good amount of workforce. Therefore the more focus we pay on recycling, the more job opportunities will open up.
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Why is Recycling Important?
The world is in a fragile condition due to pollution and climate change. If people do not take the right and adequate measures now, our world will become unliveable. Recycling is one of the effective steps to help prevent pollution and climate change. In addition, recycling will reduce the use of energy and decries the number of carbon emissions. Moreover, it will help in reducing the amount of harmful waste that occupies the landfill.
Furthermore, through recycling, we can maintain the balance in the ecosystem and protect wildlife. In addition, it will provide a better waste management system and prevent contamination in air, water and soil. Due to this reason, recycling is crucial for the current age.
What are Recycling Symbols?
Recycling symbols are signs or symbols that demonstrate recycling activities. The recycling symbols help you to understand what items you can recycle and what you can’t. Besides, these signs show you the right way to recycle them. However, you must have a clear understanding of each symbol, otherwise, you will fail to decode their meaning.
How Many Recycling Symbols are there?
There are many recycling symbols. Mostly 13 types of recycling symbols are seen. Among the symbols, the Plastic resin code and On-pack recycling label have more than one symbol. The Plastic resin codes consist of 7 symbols and the On-pack recycling label has 6 different symbols.
What are the Different Signs of Recycling?
There are many recycling symbols. However, the most common recycling symbols are
1. Mobius Loop
2. The Green Dot
3. FSC
4. Glass
5. Steel
6. Aluminium
7. Compostable Packaging
8. Ok Compost (Home)
9. Tidy-man
10. RESY
11. Waste Electricals
12. Plastic resin code
13. On-pack Recycling Label
Recycling Symbols used in the UK: What do the Different Recycling Symbols Mean?
There are a handful of recycling symbols. Each symbol signifies a different action. Here is a list of different recycling symbols and their meanings.
Mobius Loop
This is a universal symbol, which means the packaging or the product is recyclable. If the packaging or the item itself contains recycled material, it will show a % inside the logo.
The Green Dot
The green dot does not mean that the packaging is recyclable or contains recycled materials. Besides, this sign means that with every packaging, a financial contribution is made to packaging recycling. To use this sign, you will require a licence.
FSC
This is the Forest Stewardship Council logo. You will see them on products containing wood from sustainably managed forests. Using this logo in products requires permission.
RESY
RESY is a licenced symbol that means guarantees that the item is recyclable. To get a licence for RESY, one must sign an agreement with RESY, a German recycling system.
Corrugated Recycle
This is an internationally used sign developed by the International Corrugated Case Association. It is used to demonstrate that the item is recyclable. However, it does not mean that the item is made from recycled products. It does not require any permission or licence to use this symbol.
Compostable Packaging
The compost packaging logo, also known as ‘seedlings’, means that the item is recyclable by the local authorities. This is a registered trademark by European Bioplastic and demonstrates that the item is industrially compostable according to the European standard EN 13432/1495.
OK Compost (Home)
You will find this symbol in items that are compostable at home. These items are recyclable by the local authorities, or you can use them in your home compost.
Glass
You will see this symbol in class containers. It is there to remind you to recycle your glass containers. The glass containers can be collected with your household recycling, or you can give them to the bottle banks.
Aluminium
This logo explains that the product is made of recyclable aluminium. When you see this logo that means can recycle the product.
Steel
You will see this logo on products made of steel, and it can be fully recycled by the local authorities.
Tidy-man
The today-man is a trademark of the Keep Britain Tidy charity. The purpose of this logo is to remind people not to litter and dispose of waste properly.
Waste Electricals
You will find this sign on electrical products and batteries. This symbol signifies that electrical products and batteries should not be missed with the general waste. You should give them to the recycling centres.
Plastic Resin codes
These symbols are found in plastic items, and they describe what type of plastic resins were used to make the item. They help in sorting out different types of plastic. It is important to identify the plastics, as different plastics can not be recycled together.
What do the Recycle Numbers Mean?
We can see certain recycling symbols with numbers on plastic bottles or other plastic products. This number explains what type of plastic was used to make the product. It is important to understand the type of plastic a product is made of. The reason is that each plastic type has different molecules, and different molecules do not mix when recycled. Therefore, it can contaminate the whole recycling process. That is why it is crucial to understand the different variations of plastic.
According to the recycling code, there are 7 numbers. Here is a brief explanation of what each number means.
Number 1 stands for PETE
This means that this is a Poly(ethylene terephthalate) product. Some examples of PETE products are soda bottles, cooking oil bottles etc.
Number 2 stands for HDPE
High-density Polyethylene products have the number 2 on them. For example, shampoo containers, toys, grocery bags etc.
Number 3 stands for V
Polyvinyl chloride products that have the number 3 on them. Pipes, shower curtains, and vinyl dashboards are examples of PVC products.
Number 4 stands for LDPE
Number 4 means that the product is Low-density Polyethylene. Wrapping films and sandwich bags are LDP items.
Number 5 stands for PP
Products with the number 5 mean that they are Polypropylene products. . For example, plastic soda caps, Tupperware, medicine containers etc.
Number 6 stands for PS
Polystyrene products have the number 6 triangle on them. For instance, coffee cups, packing peanuts, styrofoam insulation etc, are Polystyrene items.
Number 7 stands for Others
These plastics are comparatively less used. They can be any combination of the 1-6 or less commonly used plastics.
The On-pack Recycling Label (or OPRL)
The On-pack Recycling Label gives instructions on the right way to recycle or reuse it. You will see these symbols on different types of packaging. From the symbols, you will understand if the packaging is recyclable or not.
Recycle
This symbol is used on times that are collected by 75% or more local authorities in the UK.
Don’t Recycle
This label is for the packaging that is collected by less than 50% of the local authorities. It is not allowed to store, process or recycle these items.
Recycle-Rinse
You will find this sign on recyclable packaging that requires rinsing before recycling. Usually, food packaging like yoghurt, soup tins etc, have this logo on them. The leftover food residue can contaminate other materials like paper when they are recycled. Thus, rinsing is important before recycling.
Recycle with Bags at Large Supermarkets – Don’t Recycle at Home
You will find this logo on plastic bags like bread bags, chocolate wrappings, fruit bags etc. This symbol means that you should recycle these bags at the collecting points of big supermarkets.
Recycle-Rinse- Lid on
There are some bottle caps or lids which are quite small. These tiny lids fall through the holes in storage facilities. Thus, it is difficult to remove them from recycling. Therefore, keeping the lid and caps on the bottles helps to find them easily. Thus, when you see this logo put the cap or lids back on before recycling.
Recycle – Bottle Cap On – Don’t Recycle Remove Sleeve
Quite often there is a sleeve, liner or film attached to the packaging. You can easily peel these off. When you find these sleeves, you have to remove them before you put the bottle for recycling.
Other Symbols
There are some other symbols as well which are not widely used. For example, European Single-Use Plastic and NAPM Recycled.
European Single-Use Plastic
You will find this logo on single-use disposable plastic products made in the EU. For example, wet wipes, sanitary items, tobacco products and plastic cups.
NAPM Recycled
National Association of Paper Merchants found this logo. However, the organisation stopped its activities in 2015. Yet the logo is used occasionally. For instance, this symbol is seen on paper products and means that the product is used from a minimum of 75% recycled paper or board fibres.
How to Draw a Recycling Symbol?
In a few easy steps, you can draw the universal recycling symbol. The steps are
Step 1
Lightly draw a triangle with a pencil. There is no specific size for the triangle. So, you can draw any size you want.
Step 2
Draw two rectangles on the bottom portion of the triangle. When you draw them, make sure to leave space between them. Then do the same for the rest of the triangle sides. Once you complete the rectangles, erase the triangle you drew in step 1.
Step 3
Now start from the bottom right and draw triangles on every other rectangle.
Step 4
Next, make the corners of the rectangles round where there are no triangles. The rounded parts should be facing toward the arrowed rectangles. Now, to create a fold, erase one of the corners of the arrows.
Step 5
You will not need the lines you drew in step 2. So, remove those lines.
Step 6
It’s time to paint the shapes. You can use green or white colours for painting. Outline the shapes with black colour. That’s it; your recycling symbol is ready!
What Can You Recycle at Home?
There are many items in your home that you can recycle by yourself and reuse. For example, you can use plastic bottles as planters. Use a little creativity, paint the bottles and plant vegetables, flowers or ornamental plants. In addition, you can use newspapers and other papers for packaging purposes. Besides, you can pack fragile items like glass or earthen pots with waste paper.
You probably have loads of plastic shopping bags at your home. Use these bags as liners for your bin instead of buying separate bin bags. Besides, many food items are packed in glass jars. When you are done with the food, you can rinse it off and use them for storing other things.
Furthermore, you can use old containers and cardboard boxes to store toys or other things like clothes or books. You can also use old shoe boxes to organise your things. In addition, with a little decoration, small aluminium tins can become excellent pen holders.
How Much of Our Waste is Recycled?
In 2017 Germany recycled 67.6% of its waste, the largest in the EU. The US recycled 35.2% and the UK recycled 45% of the total waste.
Even though the biggest economies have taken recycling quite seriously, the recycling percentage is still not up to the mark.
In 2015 the world generated approximately, 6300 metric tons of plastic waste. But only 9% of this massive waste was recycled. 12% was incinerated, and 79% of that waste occupied landfills and the natural environment. According to scientists, 8 million metric tons of plastic contaminate the oceans each year.
Environmental Health
Learn how pollution happens and its impact on public and environmental health
Environmental Health
Learn how pollution happens and its impact on public and environmental health
Recycling Laws in the UK
The government of the UK has taken recycling and waste management seriously. To maintain the proper recycling and waste management system, the government has implemented several laws. You can learn about these regulations from the following list
How to Know What Plastics can be Recycled?
Many have this misconception that all plastics are recyclable. However, the truth is quite different. For instance, the plastics with numbers 1 and 2 triangles are mostly recyclable. For example, water bottles, soda bottles, and milk jugs are usually this type of plastic. In contrast, the plastic items with the triangle numbers 3-7 are the least recyclable plastic. Therefore, from the triangle numbers, you can determine the recyclability of the plastic items.
In Summary
Recycling symbols are very important. They help in establishing a proper recycling system which is essential for a healthy environment. But many people do not know about the recycling symbols and their significance. Therefore, as good citizens everyone must take the small initiative to learn about the recycling symbols and follow the instructions.
May, 20, 2026 
