page_title: Recycling codes
hierarchical_section_title: Recycling codes
caption_attribution_description: English: Recycling codes on products
context_page_description: Recycling codes are used to identify the material from which an item is made, to facilitate easier recycling or other reprocessing. The presence on an item of a recycling code, a chasing arrows logo, or a resin code, is not an automatic indicator that a material is recyclable; it is an explanation of what the item is made of. Codes have been developed for batteries, biomatter/organic material, glass, metals, paper, and plastics. Various countries have adopted different codes. For example, the table below shows the polymer resin codes. In the United States there are fewer, because ABS is placed with "others" in group 7.
  A number of countries have a more granular system of recycling codes. For example, China's polymer identification system has seven different classifications of plastic, five different symbols for post-consumer paths, and 140 identification codes. The lack of a code system in some countries has encouraged those who fabricate their own plastic products, such as RepRap and other prosumer 3-D printer users, to adopt a voluntary recycling code based on the more comprehensive Chinese system.
context_section_description: Recycling codes are used to identify the material from which an item is made, to facilitate easier recycling or other reprocessing. The presence on an item of a recycling code, a chasing arrows logo, or a resin code, is not an automatic indicator that a material is recyclable; it is an explanation of what the item is made of. Codes have been developed for batteries, biomatter/organic material, glass, metals, paper, and plastics. Various countries have adopted different codes. For example, the table below shows the polymer resin (plastic) codes. In the United States there are fewer, because ABS is placed with "others" in group 7.
  A number of countries have a more granular system of recycling codes. For example, China's polymer identification system has seven different classifications of plastic, five different symbols for post-consumer paths, and 140 identification codes. The lack of a code system in some countries has encouraged those who fabricate their own plastic products, such as RepRap and other prosumer 3-D printer users, to adopt a voluntary recycling code based on the more comprehensive Chinese system.
caption: Recycling codes on products
exif: {"Image Make": "Apple", "Image Model": "iPhone 5c", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "7.0", "Image DateTime": "2014:07:12 11:13:21", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "186", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1028", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "9366", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/120", "EXIF FNumber": "12/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Program Normal", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "50", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2014:07:12 11:13:21", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2014:07:12 11:13:21", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "5567/806", "EXIF ApertureValue": "4845/1918", "EXIF BrightnessValue": "8589/1433", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Spot", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire", "EXIF FocalLength": "103/25", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "428", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "428", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2776", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "1875", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CustomRendered": "3", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "33", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF LensSpecification": "[103/25, 103/25, 12/5, 12/5]", "EXIF LensMake": "Apple", "EXIF LensModel": "iPhone 5c back camera 4.12mm f/2.4"}