Recycled Paper Symbol

The paper is made entirely from recycled fibre.

Unicode has the symbol as a pair: ♼ for fully recycled paper and ♽ for partially recycled paper, usually with the percentage printed beside it. Both follow a labelling convention on paper goods where arrows inside a circle mark recycled content, while the bare arrows ♻ say a product can be recycled. Some fonts draw ♼ as light arrows on a dark disc.

The arrows were born on paper. Gary Anderson, then a student, designed them for a 1970 contest run by the Container Corporation of America around the first Earth Day, to promote recycled paper.

Can I put anything marked ♼ in the recycling?

Not automatically: it describes content, not destination.

A box made of recycled fibre can still be greasy, waxed or laminated, and local collection rules decide what goes in the paper bin. The same arrows also framed the plastic resin codes introduced in 1988 (newer versions use a plain triangle), which name a type of plastic and promise nothing about collection. For where an item goes, look for sorting instructions on the pack or check your council's rules.