Recycling Labels
Consumers are under increasing pressure to recycle more of their waste and they are seeking clarification regarding which materials or products can be recycled. Often the labels on the packaging do not accurately help.
The presence of what appears to be a recycling symbol does not necessarily mean that the product or material will be accepted locally. Producers are increasingly manufacturing their goods for a European or worldwide market and are obliged to include a variety of potentially misleading symbols. Consumers should also be aware that some symbols are not for their benefit, but for the waste handling and disposal industry.
The symbols broadly fall into three categories:
- Indicates that a material or item can be recycled (where facilities exist)
- Indicates the type of material that the product is made of
- Indicates compliance with a recognised compliance scheme
The Mobius Loop
 | |  | | The internationally-recognised recycling symbol is the 3 chasing arrows icon, the Mobius Loop. Each arrow represents an aspect of a successful recycling programme: collection, remanufacturing or reprocessing into a new product, and finally purchase by the consumer. The symbol is only supposed to be used on goods that are 'recyclable' or include 'recycled content', but it has no precise meaning. This symbol may be found on a broad range of products made of a variety of materials. |
There are a number of symbols which commonly appear on packaging products. Some of these indicate the whether the item is recyclable, whilst others show the recycled material content.
Metals
Most beverage and food cans made from steel and aluminium can be recycled. Look out for the following symbols
 | |  | | Most beverage and food cans made from steel and aluminium can be recycled. Both these symbols are material type as well as recycling. |
Cardboard
The above symbol (A), called the Mobius loop, is most commonly found on cardboard packaging and denotes that the item is recyclable. If the centre of the loop contains a number (B), this means that the item is made from a certain percentage of recycled materials. However, use of this symbol is voluntary. Some goods contain recycled materials but do not carry this symbol. Recycled content does not mean it is necessarily better for the environment and it is often inappropriate, particularly for packaging used for food, toiletries and cosmetics. A third 'recycled' symbol (C) is also in use. This symbol differs from the first two by having solid black arrows within an outer black circle. The outer black circle denotes that at least some content from recycled material. This symbol is also seen with arrows of a particular colour. |
 | | Another symbol often displayed on paper and cardboard packaging is the RESY recycling symbol. This symbol guarantees that packaging with this symbol is recyclable and will be accepted by cardboard recyclers. |
Glass
 | | Whilst most glass containers are recyclable, this symbol reminds consumers to recycle glass jars and bottles, either at bottle banks or, where available, through kerbside collection schemes. This symbol is material type as well as recycling. |
Plastics
 | | Plastic bottles, containers and packaging typically have a symbol that indicates the type of plastic resin from which the item was made. The resin coding system was introduced in 1988 by the American Society of Plastics Industry (SPI). The symbols imprinted on plastic bottles, containers and packaging are a variation of the original three wide mobius arrows. They have been modified to a simpler and thinner version. On a bottle, the symbol can usually be found on the bottom, molded into the plastic itself as a raised impression and thus not always easily seen. The symbol includes a number within the mobius arrows, and usually, but not always, the chemical resin below the mobius arrows in acronym form. Although presence of the symbol implies that the plastic item is recyclable, the symbol is actually only intended to identify the plastic resin from which the item was made. Recyclability is ultimately determined by the local collections and reprocessing facilities. |
| | | These types and their most common uses are shown below: |
 | | Polyethylene terephthalate - Fizzy drink bottles and oven-ready meal trays. |
 | | High-density polyethylene - Bottles for milk and washing-up liquids. |
 | | Polyvinyl chloride - Food trays, cling film, bottles for squash, mineral water and shampoo. |
 | | Low density polyethylene - Carrier bags and bin liners. |
 | | Polypropylene - Margarine tubs, microwaveable meal trays. |
 | | Polystyrene - Yoghurt pots, foam meat or fish trays, hamburger boxes and egg cartons, vending cups, plastic cutlery, protective packaging for electronic goods and toys. |
 | | Any other plastics that do not fall into any of the above categories. - An example is melamine, which is often used in plastic plates and cups. |
Other Symbols
 | | he Soil Association symbol is a national independent quality mark (operating under EU Regulation No. 2092/91) for organically grown food and other products, such as compost. The symbol is recognised by all the major supermarkets and independent retailers. It is awarded to farmers, growers, food processors, distributors, retailers and industrial manufacturers who follow the standards laid down by the Soil Association. It safeguards consumers from fraudulent trading and protects producers and manufacturers from unfair competition. |
 | | The European Ecolabel was launched 10 years ago to avoid a proliferation of separate national schemes. Award of the label signals that the item meets 'rigorous environmental criteria and proper fitness for use', but it does not necessarily mean that a product contains any recycled content. However, the criteria for soil improvers, which came into effect in April 1998, requires that the product's organic matter content is provided by constituents derived from the processing and / or re-use of waste materials. Products featuring the Ecolabel should be becoming more widespread as manufacturers apply to be allowed to use the label on products which comply with the appropriate criteria. These are based on a detailed life cycle analysis. There are now many products bearing the logo on the EU market covering textiles, indoor paints and varnishes, tissue products (toilet rolls and kitchen paper), soil improvers and growing media, dishwashing detergents, hand dishwashing detergents, bed mattresses, copying paper, light bulbs, washing machines, dishwashing machines, refrigerators, dishwashers, laundry detergents, footwear, and personal computers including portables. |
 | | The Green Dot, or Grüne Punkt, on an item of packaging means that it complies with the German Packaging Ordinance for the return of consumer packaging. The symbol can, in fact, be in any colour other than red. It is administered by Duales System Deutschland GmbH, a non-profit organisation which was established to enable manufacturers and distributors to fulfil the requirements of the legislation. This shows that a fee has been paid for the recovery of the packaging in some European countries. |
 | | The Recycle Now logo is increasingly being used in the UK to indicate that the product or material may be readily recycled. The use of the logo and the wider promotion of recycling is managed by WRAP (the Waste & Resources Action Programme). The symbol, and derivatives, are used extensively to encourage householder to recycle more of their waste and to indicate where recycling facilities are located. However, this is still dependant upon local provision of facilities. |
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