Recycling symbol meaning: the three chasing arrows
The recycling symbol is three bent arrows chasing each other in a triangle. It was drawn in 1970, the year of the first Earth Day, by Gary Anderson, a 23-year-old architecture student who won a design contest run by the Container Corporation of America to mark recycled and recyclable paperboard. The arrows are folded like a Möbius strip, which is why the mark is also called the Möbius loop: one continuous surface, going round and round, which is the whole idea of recycling in one shape. The design was never trademarked, so anyone may print it.
Unicode has it twice. (U267B, black universal recycling symbol) is the solid version and the one that turns into the colour emoji : on most phones it is three white arrows on a green square or three green arrows. (U2672, universal recycling symbol) is the outlined version, which stays plain black text and suits documents, labels and captions that should not go green. is the same loop with a hollow centre, used for recycled materials in general. All of these were added in Unicode 3.2 in 2002, nearly a decade before the earth emoji appeared.
In chat the recycle emoji has drifted away from bins. marks something reposted or reused ("recycled content"), a routine that repeats, or a fresh start after a bad spell. The arrow buttons and are used the same way for again, on repeat and reuse, and the three of them often travel together in captions about habits and routines.
Recycling symbols 1–7: what the plastic numbers mean
The numbered triangles stamped into the bottom of plastic bottles and tubs are resin identification codes. Unicode keeps them as text characters: 1 PET or PETE (water and soft-drink bottles, polyester fleece), 2 HDPE (milk jugs, detergent and shampoo bottles), 3 PVC (pipes, cling film, some blister packs), 4 LDPE (carrier bags, squeezable bottles, bread bags), 5 PP (yoghurt pots, bottle caps, takeaway tubs), 6 PS (polystyrene foam cups, trays, CD cases) and 7 Other (everything else, including polycarbonate, acrylic and mixed layers). The letters appear under the triangle on real packaging; the characters only carry the number.
The codes were introduced in 1988 by the Society of the Plastics Industry so that sorting plants could tell resins apart, and have been administered by ASTM since 2008 as standard D7611. In 2013 the standard replaced the chasing arrows with a plain solid triangle, because the arrows made people think every numbered item was recyclable. It is not: the number says what the plastic is, not whether your local scheme takes it. Codes 1 and 2 are collected almost everywhere, 5 increasingly, and 3, 6 and 7 rarely. Which numbers go in the kerbside bin differs between the UK, Australia, Canada and each US state, so check your council's list and use the symbols here to write it down.
The plastic codes exist only as text, with no emoji version, so they look the same everywhere: thin black outlines in the font's weight. That makes ideal for a recycling note on a notice board, a packaging mock-up or a spreadsheet of what a bin accepts, where a coloured would be too loud.
Recycled paper, bins and the litter signs
Two more loops belong to paper. (recycled paper symbol) marks paper made from recycled fibre, and (partially-recycled paper symbol) marks paper that contains some. Next to them in the same Unicode block sits , the permanent paper sign: the ISO 9706 mark printed in books on acid-free paper that will not yellow for centuries. Most people know it only as the infinity emoji .
For litter rather than recycling, there are three emoji. is the wastebasket, which doubles as delete or throw it away. (litter in bin sign) is the public pictogram of a figure dropping rubbish into a bin, and is the crossed-out version meaning no littering or no dumping. Both signs came to Unicode in 2010 from the Japanese phone carriers' emoji sets, along with the drinking-water signs and . Add and and you have a litter-pick or beach clean-up in three characters.
Earth emoji, Earth Day and the green emoji
There are three earth emoji, all added in Unicode 6.0 in 2010: shows Europe and Africa, the Americas and Asia and Australia. They are the same planet turned, so pick the side your readers live on, or use all three in a row for the whole world. is a globe drawn with meridians and means the internet, a website or a language switch rather than the environment, and is a flat map. In plain text the planet is , the astronomical symbol for Earth (a cross above a circle; the alternative is a circle with a cross inside), and is the old alchemical sign for the element earth, alongside air, fire and water.
The green emoji set is how people say eco without a word. (seedling) is growth and new beginnings, and are fresh and natural, stand for forests and planting trees, and is the eco heart, also used for vegan food. and give you the colour alone. Earth Day falls on 22 April, and World Environment Day on 5 June; the usual post is or with a line about what you are doing that day.
Clean energy has its own characters: and the text sun for solar, and for wind, for hydro and water, for electricity and for charging and electric cars. The problem side is just as clear: for emissions, and for fossil fuels, for smog, for global heating, and with for melting ice. and are the real hazard signs for radioactive and biological waste.
Symbols
121Click a symbol to copy it and open its page.
The recycling symbols
The emoji first, then the plain-text loops that print black and the arrow buttons used for reuse.
Plastic recycling codes 1–7
The resin identification codes stamped on plastic, in order, with the plastic each number stands for.
What goes in the recycling
Sorted the way a recycling point is: paper, then containers, then the things that go back to the shop.
Planet Earth
Three views of one planet, then the text symbols for Earth and the four classical elements.
Climate and pollution
The warming, the sources and the damage.
Wildlife worth saving
The species that stand for pollinators, the ocean and the forests in conservation posts.
How to use them
6 situationsClick to copyRecycling Symbols & Eco Emoji combos
15Worth knowing
- The infinity emoji is officially the permanent paper sign, the mark printed in books to show the paper is acid-free and archival, which is why it sits right after the recycling symbols in Unicode.
- Gary Anderson drew the recycling symbol in 1970 for a contest celebrating the first Earth Day, and its arrows are folded like a Möbius strip; the company never trademarked it, so the loop is free for anyone to print.
- The plastic codes – were drawn with chasing arrows for 25 years until the 2013 revision of the ASTM standard swapped them for a solid triangle, because the arrows made people believe every numbered plastic was recyclable.
- The recycling symbols entered Unicode in 2002 (version 3.2), eight years before the three earth emoji arrived in 2010, and only ever got an emoji version.
- and are not Western road signs: they came from the Japanese carrier emoji sets, where public-space pictograms for litter, drinking water and toilets were standard icons on phones long before emoji went global.
Questions people ask
7How do I copy and paste the recycling symbol?
Tap or click or on this page to copy it, then paste it into your message, document or label. is the green emoji; and are plain-text versions that stay black. On a phone keyboard, search the emoji panel for "recycle".
What do the recycling symbols 1-7 mean?
They are resin codes that say which plastic an item is made of: 1 PET (drink bottles), 2 HDPE (milk jugs), 3 PVC (pipes, cling film), 4 LDPE (bags), 5 PP (yoghurt pots, caps), 6 PS (polystyrene) and 7 Other (mixed and everything else). The number does not promise the item is recyclable where you live.
What does the recycle emoji mean in texting?
In chat usually means something is reused or reposted, a habit that repeats, or a fresh start. It is also simply the sign for recycling and eco-friendly living, often with and . On social media, in a caption often marks recycled content or a repost.
Does the recycling symbol on plastic mean it can be recycled?
Not by itself. The numbered triangle identifies the resin, and the standard changed the arrows to a solid triangle in 2013 for that reason. Codes 1 and 2 are accepted almost everywhere, 5 in many places, and 3, 6 and 7 rarely; check your local council or recycling scheme.
How do I type the recycle symbol on a keyboard?
Copying from this page is quickest. In Microsoft Word, type 267B and press AltX to get , or 2672 for . On a Mac, open the Character Viewer and search "recycling". On Windows, Win. opens the emoji panel, where "recycle" finds .
Which earth emoji should I use?
shows Europe and Africa, the Americas and Asia and Australia; they are the same planet turned, so pick the side your audience lives on or use all three. is the globe with meridians and means the internet or languages, not the environment.
What are good Earth Day emoji combos?
for the classic message, for planting, for a car-free day, for pollinators and for a clean-up. Keep it to three or four characters and let the words say what you actually did.
