Recycling symbols still leave half of us baffled

By Natasha Livingstone

UP to half of Britons are baffled by recycling symbols used on product packaging, fuelling calls for labelling to be overhauled.

A survey carried out by consumer champion Which? found 48 per cent of people thought the so-called green dot logo – a green circle with two intertwined arrows inside – meant that a product can be recycled. But the symbol means the manufacturer has complied with packaging waste legislation – it has nothing to do with recyclability.

A further 32 per cent of people thought the seedling logo, a small plant tied in a loop, meant packaging was recyclable, but it instead means it can be broken down only by industrial composters.

The survey of 1,097 Which? members found they made common mistakes when recycling, despite 94 per cent being ‘confident’ they disposed of waste correctly.

Frequent errors included putting compostable items in mixed recycling (65 per cent), recycling plastic cutlery instead of placing it in general waste (51 per cent) and putting a toothpaste tube in the recycling bin (28 per cent).

Councils will not recycle plastic cutlery, usually made of polystyrene, or most toothpaste tubes, made of layers of plastic and aluminium, because the materials are difficult and expensive to process.

Emily Seymour, Which? sustainability editor, said: ‘Consumers are being let down by confusing labelling that makes recycling tough to get right. The Government should ensure plans to make recycling labels mandatory on packaging continue to roll out as scheduled and that labels are made simple.’

The Government is planning to introduce mandatory recycling labelling with a consistent logo, but critics say it is not clear what will be implemented and when.