Recycling code

General recycling symbol

The recycling code is used to identify various materials for return to the recycling cycle . The code consists of the recycling symbol : three (often green) arrows - which are supposed to reflect the recycling cycle - and a number that identifies the material. In most cases, an abbreviation is also given below that indicates the material group. Because this abbreviation can vary (e.g. PET but also PETE is possible), the number is the decisive factor.

The identifications for plastics (numbers 01 to 07) were first published by the Society of the Plastics Industry (SPI) in 1988 under the name SPI resin identification coding system . The letter abbreviations for plastics are based on the standardized abbreviations for plastics .

In order to reduce the sorting effort, some of the recyclables are pre-sorted with the support of the consumer before they are recycled. For this purpose, many cities have set up recycling centers for the disposal of recyclable materials . These can be used in addition to the “ Green Dot ” system established in Germany and the disposal of old glass at the appropriate collection points.

In Germany, the Packaging Act of 5 July 2017 ( Federal Law Gazette I p. 2234 ) has been regulating numbers and abbreviations for identifying packaging material in Section 6 since 2019. The system was introduced in the European Union by decision 97/129 / EC.

The same structure in relation to polymers is found in ASTM D7611. There is also a Chinese standard for plastics with a much finer subdivision of the various polymers.

Recycling numbers

Recycling number	Abbreviation	Name of the material	Use / recycle too
	PET or PETE	Polyethylene terephthalate	Polyester fibers, films, bottles for food and other liquids, food packaging
	PE-HD or HDPE	High density polyethylene	Plastic bottles, trash cans, plastic pipes, synthetic wood
	PVC	Polyvinyl chloride	Window frames and pipes
	PE-LD or LDPE	Low-density polyethylene	Plastic bags, buckets, soap dispenser bottles, plastic tubes, foils
	PP	Polypropylene	Bumpers, interior trim, industrial fibers, food packaging, DVD and Blu-ray cases
	PS	Polystyrene	Toys, flower pots, video cassettes, CD cases, ashtrays, suitcases, expanded polystyrene, food packaging
	O (OTHER)	Other plastics such as polycarbonate (PC), polyamide (PA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polylactide (PLA), among others	No. 7 is defined neither in the German packaging ordinance nor in the European packaging directive. The principle is: The labeling is voluntary, but if I label, then according to the specifications. So No. 7 can not be occupied as the mood takes you. The basic problem here is the outdated legal basis. B. also LLDPE and other materials used in plastics processing such as EVOH or adhesion promoters in this list.
	PAP	Corrugated cardboard	packagings
		Other cardboard	packagings
		paper	Newspapers, magazines etc.
	FE	steel	steel
	ALU	aluminum
	FOR	Wood
	FOR	cork	Corks (in bottles), insulating material, floor coverings
	TEX	cotton
	TEX	jute
	GL	Colorless glass	"New" glass
		Green glass
		Brown glass
80	Composites : C X with X = Abbreviation of the main component	Paper and cardboard / various metals
81		Paper and cardboard / plastic
82		Paper and cardboard / aluminum
83		Paper and cardboard / tinplate
		Paper and cardboard / plastic / aluminum
85		Paper and cardboard / plastic / aluminum / tinplate
		Plastic / aluminum
91		Plastic / tinplate
92		Plastic / various metals
95		Glass / plastic
96		Glass / aluminum
97		Glass / tinplate
98		Glass / various metals