Packaging and recycling symbols
14 packaging and recycling symbols, each with what it looks like and what it actually requires.
| Symbol | Looks like | Means |
|---|---|---|
| Mobius loop (chasing arrows) | Three folded arrows chasing each other in a triangle, each one twisted so the loop has a single continuous surface. | The producer claims the item can be recycled — not that it will be, and not that your council collects it. |
| Mobius loop with a percentage | The three chasing arrows with a number and per-cent sign inside or beside them, such as 80%. | The pack contains that percentage of recycled material. |
| Green Dot (Der Grüne Punkt) | Two interlocking arrows forming a circle, one light green and one dark green, chasing each other clockwise. Often printed in black and white. | The producer paid into a national packaging recovery scheme. It does not mean the pack is recyclable, recycled, or made of recycled material. |
| Tidyman | A stick figure walking towards a waste bin, dropping something into it. | Dispose of this thoughtfully. It has nothing to do with recycling. |
| Glass recycling (bottle bank) symbol | A figure putting a bottle into a bottle bank, or a bottle and jar above a bin outline. | Take this glass to a bottle bank or glass collection. |
| Aluminium recycling (alu) | Two curved arrows chasing each other around the letters "alu", or the word ALU inside a Mobius loop. | The item is aluminium and can be recycled as aluminium. |
| Recyclable steel | A horseshoe magnet with an arrow curving around it, sometimes with the word STEEL. | The item is steel — usually tinplate — and is separated magnetically for recycling. |
| Compostable seedling (EN 13432) | A stylised two-leafed seedling sprouting from a curved line, usually in a circle. Marketed as the Seedling mark or OK compost INDUSTRIAL. | Certified to break down in an industrial composting facility — not in a home heap, a bin or the environment. |
| Home compostable | A seedling or leaf mark with the word HOME, or a seedling inside a house outline. TÜV Austria issues it as OK compost HOME. | Certified to break down in an ordinary garden compost heap at ambient temperature. |
| FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) | A tree whose trunk doubles as a tick mark, with the letters FSC beneath. | The wood or paper comes from forests audited against the Forest Stewardship Council standard. |
| PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) | Two stylised trees inside a circle formed by arrows, with PEFC below. | The wood or paper is certified under a national forestry scheme that PEFC endorses. |
| OPRL — Recycle / Don't Recycle (UK) | A rounded rectangle containing the word "Recycle" or "Don't Recycle", sometimes with an instruction such as "Rinse" or "Recycle with bags at large supermarkets". | Whether this specific component is collected by most UK councils. |
| Triman (France) | A figure in profile with an arrow at the hip splitting into three arrows, one grey and two green. | In France, this product or packaging is subject to sorting rules and must not go in the general waste. |
| Estimated sign (℮) | A lowercase letter e in a rounded, italic style, printed immediately after the weight or volume. | The quantity is an average across the batch, checked under the EU average-quantity system. |
- Mobius loop (chasing arrows) The producer claims the item can be recycled — not that it will be, and not that your council collects it.
- Mobius loop with a percentage The pack contains that percentage of recycled material.
- Green Dot (Der Grüne Punkt) The producer paid into a national packaging recovery scheme. It does not mean the pack is recyclable, recycled, or made of recycled material.
- Tidyman Dispose of this thoughtfully. It has nothing to do with recycling.
- Glass recycling (bottle bank) symbol Take this glass to a bottle bank or glass collection.
- Aluminium recycling (alu) The item is aluminium and can be recycled as aluminium.
- Recyclable steel The item is steel — usually tinplate — and is separated magnetically for recycling.
- Compostable seedling (EN 13432) Certified to break down in an industrial composting facility — not in a home heap, a bin or the environment.
- Home compostable Certified to break down in an ordinary garden compost heap at ambient temperature.
- FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) The wood or paper comes from forests audited against the Forest Stewardship Council standard.
- PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification) The wood or paper is certified under a national forestry scheme that PEFC endorses.
- OPRL — Recycle / Don't Recycle (UK) Whether this specific component is collected by most UK councils.
- Triman (France) In France, this product or packaging is subject to sorting rules and must not go in the general waste.
- Estimated sign (℮) The quantity is an average across the batch, checked under the EU average-quantity system.