Recycling packaging symbols explained

A nice easy one to start you off. It means that at least 75% of local councils provide household recycling collection facilities for that type of packaging. You might need to remove lids or plastics films so keep an eye out for other labels that might sit beside this one. 

This symbol is used when 20% - 75% of councils can recycle that packaging type. You can find out if your area is included by using the recycling sorter - save the page as a favourite on your phone so you can check back easily. 

Less than 20% of councils recycle this type of packaging but don’t despair just yet. Check with your local council before relegating it to your general waste bin. They might just be one of the magic 20%. Also, recycling facilities are evolving all the time so it might be recycled in the future. 

If you see this symbol on packaging then over 75% of councils recycle this type of packaging but less than 75% collect it through household recycling - it might be at a recycling bank instead. Sounds tricky but if you have our recycling locator to hand you’ll be laughing all the way to the recycling bank. 

Some plastic films can also now be recycled at supermarkets’ carrier bag collection points.

Look out for the 'Recycle with carrier bags at large stores - not at kerbside' message on your bread bag, breakfast cereal, toilet and kitchen roll wraps, grocery produce, multipack shrink wrap and magazine wraps then just drop off when you do your weekly shop.

You’ll normally find the collection points near the entrance or after the tills.

Find out what to do with plastic film.

Does what it says on the tin. When you see this symbol (if you’re anything like us and have dripped paint down the side you might have to hunt for it) your empty metal paint can is accepted for recycling at most local recycling centres. Check your council’s website for more information. 

Find out what to do with paint cans.

Most of us are familiar with this one - the Mobius loop - but you might not know that it shows that the packaging is capable of being recycled but it’s not necessarily accepted by all recycling collection facilities. Best to check with your local council on this one before you chuck it into your recycling bin.  

Sometimes you’ll spot a Mobius loop used with a percentage figure in the middle. This explains that the packaging contains x% of recycled material. 

There’s some debate on the origins of the Tidyman icon but one thing’s for certain, he’s become one of the most widely recognised symbols in the world. Although not relating to recycling, Tidyman is a reminder to be a good citizen by disposing of the packaging carefully and thoughtfully, without littering. One to think about while you’re drinking your next can of Bru.

Find out more at Keep Scotland Beautiful.

Not to be confused with the Mobius loop, the green dot doesn’t always mean that the packaging is recyclable, will be recycled, or has been recycled. It just means that the producer has made a financial contribution to the recovery and recycling of packaging.

This is where things can seem confusing. Numbers from 1 to 7 within the 'chasing arrows' symbol (or Resin Identification Code) shows the type of plastic resin used to make the packaging. As a general rule of thumb if it has a number 1 or 2 in the centre then it can be picked up through most household recycling collections - but always best to check with your local council for details in your area.

Tidyman’s second cousin - let’s call him Bottleman - shows up in this symbol, popping his glass into the bottle bank as a reminder to recycle your glass bottles and jars. If you’re using a bottle bank, remember to separate colours, otherwise you can use your glass household recycling collection if you have one. 

Find out what to do with glass. 

One for the drinks cans and deodorant bottles, this symbol shows that the item is made of recyclable aluminium.

Find out what to do with kitchen foil and aluminium trays.

This symbol may look like a magnet-torch hybrid (Dragon’s Den here we come) but it actually shows that the product is made of recyclable steel. 

Waste electrical items - from household appliances to mobile phones and IT equipment - are not to be disposed of in your wheelie bin. 

Find out what to do with electrical items. 

The 'seedling' symbol is the registered trademark of European Bioplastics and means that the product has been certified to be industrially compostable according to the European standard EN 13432/14955.

Keep these out of your recycling bin though, as they can’t be recycled they will have to go in with your general waste. Try using reusable options instead for things like coffee cups and takeaways.

To be given the National Association of Paper Merchants' mark, paper or board must be made from a minimum of 50%, 75% or 100% genuine waste paper and/or board fibre, and shouldn’t contain mill produced waste fibre.  

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo identifies products which which contain wood from responsibly-managed forests, and complies with FSC’s rules.