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.
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.
Metals
Most beverage and food cans made from steel and aluminium can
be recycled. Look out for the following symbols:
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Recyclable
aluminium
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Recyclable
steel
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Both these symbols are material type as well as
recycling
Cardboard
The above 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. This symbol
guarantees that packaging with this symbol is recyclable and will
be accepted by cardboard recyclers.
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
Plastics
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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.
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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:
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Polyethylene terephthalate - Fizzy drink
bottles and oven-ready meal trays.
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High-density polyethylene - Bottles for milk
and washing-up liquids.
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Polyvinyl chloride - Food trays, cling film,
bottles for squash, mineral water and shampoo.
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Low density polyethylene - Carrier bags and
bin liners.
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Polypropylene - Margarine tubs, microwaveable
meal trays.
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Polystyrene - Yoghurt pots, foam meat or fish
trays, hamburger boxes and egg cartons, vending cups, plastic
cutlery, protective packaging for electronic goods and toys.
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Any other plastics that do not fall into any
of the above categories. - An example is melamine, which is often
used in plastic plates and cups.
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Compliance Schemes
NAPM scheme
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The NAPM (National Association of
Paper Merchants) offers certification to all branded papers and
boards which comply with its definition of recycled paper.
The scheme was launched in 1990. To be accorded the mark, the
paper or board must be made from a minimum of 75% genuine waste
paper and / or board fibre, no part of which should contain mill
produced waste fibre (mill broke). |
Genuine waste is defined by the scheme as:
- Converters' waste - paper which has left the mill and has
become waste during a converting process such as cutting or
slitting to meet a specific commercial order;
- Printers' waste - printed or unprinted waste collected from a
printing operation (trimmings, overs or rejects);
- Domestic or office waste - collected from homes and offices,
printed or unprinted.
Blue Angel
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This scheme is administered by the
German Quality Control Institute - RAL Deutsches Institut - and has
been established since 1979. For recycled paper to qualify
for the mark, it must be made of 100% waste paper (tolerance 5%),
and contain at least 51% low grade or medium grade scrap and wastes
containing kraft (sulphate pulp) papers. Recycled cardboard
used for files should contain at least 30% low grade and medium
grade waste. Other board products must contain 51% low grade
and medium grade waste paper. All must be made with 100%
waste paper (tolerance 5%). |
Stricter standards came into
effect in 2002 and products previously bearing the emblem must
reapply for the label and prove that they meet the more stringent
criteria, which cover both the source material and the
manufacturing process. The specified minimum content of low
and medium waste paper grades has been increased further; the use
of optical whiteners is prohibited; and various chemicals used for
waste paper processing and in the production of recycled paper,
sanitary paper, recycling cardboard, and printing and newspaper may
no longer be used. However, this will not mean a drop in quality.
Copying paper bearing the "Blue Angel" label meets the
quality standards for copying paper as well as the requirements for
durability.
The Blue Angel logo is awarded to other products, with the
criteria varying according to product category. The scheme is
voluntary and, once products have been approved, manufacturers pay
an annual fee for the use of the logo.
Nordic White Swan
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This label was introduced by the
Nordic Council of Ministers in 1989, to encourage production
methods that create the minimum environmental impact. It
covers fine papers and soft tissue grades, but it does not
necessarily imply that the product contains any recycled fibre.
The criteria are based on the environmental effects of the
manufacturing process rather than the selection of raw material.
For further details contact the Swedish Standards
Institution. |
The Soil Association Symbol Scheme
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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. |
The European Ecolabel
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The European Ecolabel was launched 10 years ago to avoid a
proliferation of separate national schemes. Award of the label
signals that the item meets 'rigorous environmental criteria and
proper fitness for use', but it does not necessarily mean that a
product contains any recycled content. However, the criteria
for soil improvers, which came into effect in April 1998, requires
that the product's organic matter content is provided by
constituents derived from the processing and / or re-use of waste
materials.
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Products featuring the Ecolabel
should be becoming more widespread as manufacturers apply to be
allowed to use the label on products which comply with the
appropriate criteria. These are based on a detailed life
cycle analysis. There are now many products bearing the logo
on the EU market covering textiles, indoor paints and varnishes,
tissue products (toilet rolls and kitchen paper), soil improvers
and growing media, dishwashing detergents, hand dishwashing
detergents, bed mattresses, copying paper, light bulbs, washing
machines, dishwashing machines, refrigerators, dishwashers, laundry
detergents, footwear, and personal computers including
portables.
The Green Dot
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The Green Dot, or Grüne Punkt, on
an item of packaging means that it complies with the German
Packaging Ordinance for the return of consumer packaging. The
symbol can, in fact, be in any colour other than red. It is
administered by Duales System Deutschland GmbH, a non-profit
organisation which was established to enable manufacturers and
distributors to fulfil the requirements of the legislation. This
shows that a fee has been paid for the recovery of the packaging in
some European countries. |
RecycleNow
or
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.
Sources: