Contents
– Möbius strip
– Recycling code for recyclable plastic
– Symbols for different recyclable materials
– Reusable packaging: which recycling code?
Recycling began to be actively implemented after the Second World War. It consists of treating waste in such a way as to reintroduce materials already used in the manufacture of another product. It can be glass, aluminum, steel, or plastic.
Signs on the products or packaging allow the consumer to know if a product should be put in the traditional garbage cans or recyclable waste bins.
In addition, there are logos on glass and plastic packaging and containers. They are used to indicate whether they are recyclable or not. Here is a brief overview of the different codes that can be found on the market and their meaning.
Möbius ribbon
Since 1970, this ribbon has been the universal logo indicating that a product can be recycled or that it was manufactured from recycled materials:
– It represents three green arrows forming a kind of triangle.
– The Möbius strip can appear with a percentage. This indicates the proportion of recycled materials that make up the packaging or product.
Recycling code for recyclable plastic
The logo indicating that a product is made of recyclable plastic is formed by three black arrows representing a triangle:
– It is roughly the same shape as the Möbius strip logo.
– Inside the triangle is a number corresponding to the type of plastic used.
There are 7 categories of recyclable plastic:
– Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), symbolized by the number 1;
– High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE), represented by the number 2;
– Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), 3;
– Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE), 4;
– Polypropylene (PP), 5;
– Polystyrene (PS), 6;
– Plastics other than those from 1 to 6 correspond to number 7.
Symbols indicating the different recyclable materials
Depending on the type of material used, the symbol indicating that the packaging is recyclable may vary:
– Recyclable glass is indicated by a bottle surrounded by arrows forming a circle.
– Recyclable aluminum is indicated by the letters “alu” surrounded by two arrows.
– Recyclable steel is indicated by a horseshoe drawing a cylinder, under which is written “RECYCLABLE STEEL”.
– Recycled paper is represented by a stylized tree leaf, accompanied by a percentage indicating the proportion of recycled fiber in the packaging or product.
Reusable packaging: what recycling code?
On a package, two black arrows parallel in opposite directions mean that it is reusable.
As of January 1, 2022, products placed on the market for households and subject to the extended producer responsibility (EPR) system, excluding household glass beverage containers, must be subject to mandatory and harmonized marking. The signage is twofold: it informs the consumer that this product is subject to a sorting rule (triman logo) and provides information on how to sort it. A waste that does not require specific sorting, and can therefore be thrown away with the household waste, is represented by a man throwing a piece of paper into a garbage can.
Read more:
- A Guide to Using Plastic Containers
- What is Inert Waste
- Why Go “Zero Waste”
- How To Conserve Resources And Save Our Planet
- A Regrettable Reality: Ecological Crime Mafias
- How Do You Make Good Compost
- Vermicomposting: Raising Worms to Compost Your Waste
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