Recycling symbols UK: which labels actually mean anything
There are four or five symbols in circulation on UK packaging and only one of them is telling you what to do with the pack. One of the others means nothing about recycling at all, and is on millions of items.
UK recycling labels: key facts
| The one that matters | OPRL: "Recycle" or "Do Not Recycle" |
|---|---|
| Who runs it | OPRL, a not-for-profit founded in 2009, licensing Recycle Now iconography from WRAP |
| When it went binary | 2019, based on ISO 14021 |
| Mobius loop | Capable of being recycled. Not a promise your council takes it |
| Green Dot | The producer paid into a recovery scheme. Says nothing about recyclability |
| Tidyman | Keep Britain Tidy asking you not to litter. Nothing to do with recycling |
The OPRL label, and what it says now
OPRL is the UK's packaging recyclability labelling scheme. It started in 2009 with three labels based on how many councils collected a material, moved to "Check Locally" and "Not Yet Recycled" in 2017, and in 2019 went binary: Recycle or Do Not Recycle, aligned to ISO 14021 on self-declared environmental claims.
That matters because the older labels are still remembered and still quoted. "Widely Recycled" was retired in 2019. If you see it, the pack or the advice is out of date.
The current family, in the wording consumers actually see:
- Recycle. Clean it and put it in your household recycling.
- Don't recycle. It cannot be collected from your home.
- Rinse and recycle. Food residue has to come off first.
- Rinse and recycle with the lid on. Caps and lids under 40mm across fall through the screens at a sorting facility, so leaving them on the bottle is what gets them recycled.
- Recycle with bags at large supermarkets. Film and flexible packaging, which goes to front-of-store collection rather than your bin.
- Recycle with the cap on, remove the sleeve.
- Check Home Collections. Used where packaging is collected by between 50 and 75% of authorities.
The Green Dot, which trips everyone up
A circle made of two interlocking arrows, usually green. It looks exactly like a recycling symbol and it is not one. Recycle Now's wording is unambiguous: the Green Dot "does not necessarily mean that the packaging is recyclable, will be recycled or has been recycled". It signifies that the producer has made a financial contribution towards packaging recovery and recycling in Europe.
It appears on a lot of imported packaging because it is a legal requirement in some European countries. If a pack carries only a Green Dot and no OPRL label, you have been told nothing about your bin.
The Mobius loop
The plain three-arrow triangle, sometimes with a percentage inside it. It indicates something is capable of being recycled, but as Recycle Now puts it, "not that it will necessarily be accepted in all recycling collection systems". With a percentage, it is telling you how much recycled content the item contains, which is a different claim again.
The triangle with a number in it, 1 to 7, is a different thing entirely: a resin identification code naming the polymer. That is covered in our guide to the types of plastic.
Tidyman
The little figure putting litter in a bin, from Keep Britain Tidy. It is asking you not to drop the pack. It carries no recycling information whatsoever, and it is the oldest of the symbols here, which is why it is so often misread as one.
Why the labels and your bin still disagree
A label describes the pack. Your collection describes your area. England's Simpler Recycling reform is closing that gap by standardising what must be collected: glass, metal and plastic, paper and card, food waste, and garden waste. Businesses with 10 or more full-time equivalent staff came into scope on 31 March 2025, households by 31 March 2026, and micro-firms have until 31 March 2027. Kerbside plastic film follows by 31 March 2027.
What the reform does not change is the labels themselves. Keep reading the OPRL label on the pack, and when it says check locally, your council's list is the authority.
The label tells you where a pack should go; what happens after that is a separate question, covered in our guide to plastic recycling.
Frequently asked questions
What does the Green Dot symbol mean?
That the producer has made a financial contribution towards packaging recovery and recycling in Europe. It does not mean the packaging is recyclable, will be recycled, or has been recycled.
What is the difference between the Mobius loop and the resin code?
The plain three-arrow triangle is the Mobius loop, meaning something is capable of being recycled. A triangle with a number 1 to 7 inside it is a resin identification code naming the polymer, which is a statement about chemistry rather than recyclability.
Is the 'Widely Recycled' label still used?
No. It was retired in 2019 when OPRL moved to binary Recycle and Do Not Recycle labelling. If you see it, the pack or the advice is out of date.
Why does the label say to leave the lid on?
Because caps and lids under 40mm across fall through the screens at a sorting facility and are lost. Leaving them on the bottle is what gets them recycled.
What does Tidyman mean?
It is Keep Britain Tidy asking you not to litter. It carries no recycling information at all, which is why it is so often misread as a recycling symbol.