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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
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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/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. |
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Metals
Most beverage and food cans made from steel and aluminium can
be recycled. Look
out for the following symbols:
Left Recyclable Aluminium and
Right Recyclable Steel |
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Cardboard
The 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 came
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 (D). This
symbol guarantees that packaging with this symbol is recyclable
and will be accepted by cardboard recyclers. |
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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 |
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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:
1 |
Polyethylene
Terepthalate |
Fizzy drink bottles and
oven-ready meal trays |
2 |
High Density Polyethylene |
Bottles for milk and washing-up liquids |
3 |
PVC |
Food trays, cling film, bottles for
squash, mineral water and shampoo. |
4 |
Low Density Polyethylene |
Carrier bags and bin liners |
5 |
Polypropylene |
Margarine tubs, microwaveable meal
trays. |
6 |
Polystyrene |
Yoghurt pots, foam meat or fish trays,
hamburger boxes and egg cartons, vending cups, plastic
cutlery, protective packaging for electronic goods
and toys. |
7 |
All other resins and multi-materials |
An example is melamine, which is often
used in plastic plates and cups. |
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Compliance Schemes |
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The Green Dot
TThe Green Dot is a symbol used on packaging in many European
countries. The basic idea of the Green Dot is that consumers
who see the logo know that the manufacturer of the product
contributes to the cost of recovery and recycling. This
can be with household waste collected by the authorities
(eg, in special bags - in Germany these are yellow),
or in containers in public places such as car parks and
outside supermarkets. The system is financed by a green
dot licence fee paid by the producers of the products.
Fees vary by country and are based on the material used
in packaging (eg paper, plastic, metal, wood, cardboard).
Each country also has different fees for joining the
scheme and ongoing fixed and variable fees. Fees also
take into account the cost of collection, sorting and
recycling methods. In simple terms, the system encourages
manufacturers to cut down on packaging as this saves
them the cost of licence fees. www.green-dot.org.uk. |
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Soil Association
The 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. |
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Recycle Now
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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Useful Sources:
www.recycledproducts.org.uk
www.earthodyssey.com
www.wastelink.co.uk
www.wasteonline.org.uk
www.recyclenow.org.uk
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