Know about the recycling symbols onyour recycling bin

Recycling symbols have come a long way from the “Mobius Loop” which was the de-facto recycling symbol present on every recycling container and recycle bin anywhere. A Mobius loop consists of three twisted chasing arrows forming a triangle. Over time, with the increase in the amount of recycling bins and recycle containers several variations of the Mobius loop symbol have come up.

All recycling symbols can be divided into two broad categories

• Recyclable product symbol: This symbol is the simple Mobius loops and is still used extensively all over the globe. There are two variations of this symbol. The outline form and the filled form. Both convey the same message that the product can be recycled.
• Recycled products symbol: This symbol has a circle encircling the Mobius loop. These are marked on products which are made of recycled materials. Not all recycled products are made of 100% recycled materials. A percentage inside the Mobius loop indicates the percentage of recycled materials used in manufacturing the product.

Plastic coding system: Plastics because of their different molecular structures are different from other materials like metal and glass. All aluminum products have the same molecular structure and hence they can be recycled together. However, as plastics have different molecular structures they cannot be recycled together. This has given rise to the unique plastic coding system. Plastic coding system has a variant of the Mobius loop with a number written inside it (1-7). The number or the plastic identification code represents a specific type of molecular structure. These symbols are usually present on the bottom of plastic bottles or containers. They are a great help for recycling participants and recycling facilities as they ensure easy and efficient sorting and segregating.

• Number 1 is PET or PETE and stands for Polyethylene Terephthalate.
• Number 2 is HDPE and stands for High Density Polyethylene
• Number 3 is PVC and stands for Polyvinyl Chloride
• Number 4 is LDPE or PE-LD and stands for  Low Density Polyethylene
• Number 5 is PP and stands for  Polypropylene
• Number 6 is PS and stands for  Polystyrene
• Number 7 is O or ABS and stands for  Other (often polycarbonate or ABS)

There are other symbols as well, 100% Recycled Paperboard Symbol, Recyclable Glass Symbol, Corrugated Recyclables Symbol, Recyclable Aluminum Symbol, Recyclable Steel Symbol, and Green Dot Symbol are some of them. The green dot displays that a fee has been paid for the recovery of the packaging in some European countries. Recyclable aluminum symbol has two circular arrows and "alu" written inside. Symbol to indicate disposing glass bottle in the bin has three triangular shaped arrows with an image of a person throwing bottle in a bin inside the triangle.

Having a proper understanding of recycling symbols can help a person while shopping for recyclable and recycled products. It also helps in finding the percentage of recycled material a product is made of, and finally, in the case of plastic, helps in sorting and segregating them effectively.

You can find a wide variety of recycling decals which can be put on recycling containers to make the disposing of waste more effective and easy to follow, we have the best branded recycling bins and containers like Rubbermaid recycling bins, Waste Warrior recycling bins and Ecolad recycling bins and more.