Recycling codes are used to identify the materials out of which the item is made, to facilitate easier recycling process. 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."Recycling Codes: What Do Those Numbers Mean?" Bamski Bamski Blog, n.d. Accessed April 18, 2025. 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 finer-grained system with more 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.Standardization Administration of the People’s Republic of China (SAC) GB16288, 2008. Marking of plastics products. Chinese Standard Publishing House, Beijing; 2008. The lack of a code system in some countries has encouraged those who fabricate their own plastic products, such as RepRap and other prosumer 3D printer users, to adopt a voluntary recycling code based on the more comprehensive Chinese system.Emily J. Hunt, Chenlong Zhang, Nick Anzalone, Joshua M. Pearce, Polymer recycling codes for distributed manufacturing with 3-D printers, Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 97, pp. 24-30 (2015). DOI:10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.02.004
Resin identification codes and codes defined by the European Commission
Symbol Code Description ExamplesPlastics (see resin identification code) 1 PET(E) Polyethylene terephthalate Polyester fibers, soft drink bottles, food containers (also see plastic bottles) 2 PEHD or HDPE High-density polyethylene Plastic milk containers, plastic bags, bottle caps, trash cans, oil cans, plastic lumber, toolboxes, supplement containers 3 PVC or V Polyvinyl chloride Window frames, bottles for chemicals, flooring, plumbing pipes, phonograph records (vinyl records) 4 PELD or LDPE Low-density polyethylene Plastic bags, Ziploc bags, buckets, squeeze bottles, plastic tubes, cutting boards 5 PP Polypropylene Flower pots, bumpers, car interior trim, industrial fibers, carry-out beverage cups, microwavable food containers, DVD keep cases 6 PS Polystyrene Toys, video cassettes, ashtrays, trunks, beverage/food coolers, beer cups, wine and champagne cups, carry-out food containers, Styrofoam 7 O (Other) All other plastics Polycarbonate (PC), polyamide (PA), styrene acrylonitrile (SAN), acrylic plastics/polyacrylonitrile (PAN), bioplastics ABS Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene Monitor/TV cases, coffee makers, cell phones, calculators, most computer plastic, Lego bricks, most FFF 3D printed parts that are not bioplastic such as PLA PA Polyamide (nylon) Toothbrush bristles, socks, stockings, automobile seatbelts, backpacks, parachutes, kitesBatteries (see also battery recycling) 8 Lead Lead–acid batteryCar batteries, truck and semi truck batteries, buses and coaches, boats and jet skis, jump starters, data centers 9 Alkaline Alkaline batteryTV Remote batteries, flashlight batteries 10 NiCD Nickel–cadmium batteryOlder batteries; camcorders, walkie-talkies and two-way radios, RC cars, rechargeable razors 11 NiMH Nickel–metal hydride batteryRechargeable AA/AAA batteries, cordless phone batteries, older hybrid car batteries (Toyota Prius), power tool battery packs 12 Li Lithium batteryCell phone batteries, computer batteries, camera batteries, e-cigarettes 13 SO(Z) Silver-oxide batteryWristwatches, small medical devices (hearing aids), precision laser pointers, digital thermometers 14 CZ Zinc–carbon batteryFlashlight batteries, clocks, smoke detectorsPaper 20 PAP Corrugated fiberboard (cardboard) Cardboard boxes, eg. shipping, food delivery 21 PAP Non-corrugated fiberboard (paperboard) Cereal boxes, cracker boxes, tissue boxes, medicine boxes, greeting cards 22 PAP Paper Newspaper, books, magazines, wrapping paper, wallpaper, paper bags, paper strawsMetals 40 FE Steel Food cans (soup, beans), coffee tins, bottle caps, aerosol cans, paint cans, electronic casing such as USB shields 41 ALU AluminiumSoft drink cans, deodorant cans, disposable food containers, aluminium foil, heat sinksBiomatter/Organic material 50 FOR WoodFurniture, cutting boards, brooms, pencils, cocktail sticks, wooden spoons 51 FOR Cork Bottle stoppers, place mats, construction material 60 COT CottonTowels, t-shirts, cotton buds/swabs, cotton pads 61 TEX JuteBurlap sacks, twine/rope, carpet backing, "Hessian" fabric, reusable grocery bags 62-69 TEX Other textilesSummer shirts, high-end bed sheets, tablecloths, tea towels. Heavy-duty canvas bags, sustainable clothing, rope, industrial twine. Sweaters (Jumpers), winter coats, suits, blankets, carpets. Ties, high-end dresses, scarves, luxury bedding. Polyester, Nylon, Spandex, "Poly-cotton" blends, microfiber cloths.Glass 70 GL Clear Glass Food storage jars such as spirit bottles, soda bottles 71 GL Green Glass Wine bottles and spirits, carafes 72 GL Brown Glass Beer, light-sensitive products, ink bottles, photo developer 73 GL Dark Sort Glass Wine bottles, sparkling water bottles, champagne bottles, high-end olive oil 74 GL Light Sort GlassVoss water, Light-blue perfume bottles 75 GL Light Leaded Glass Televisions, high-end electronics display glass like in calculators 76 GL Leaded Glass Older televisions, ash trays, older beverage holders 77 GL Copper Mixed/Copper Backed Glass Electronics, LCD heads, clocks, watches 78 GL Silver Mixed/Silver Backed Glass Mirrors, formal table settings 79 GL Gold Mixed/Gold Backed Glass Computer glass, formal table settingsComposites (80—99) 80 Paper Paper and miscellaneous metals Insulated Mailing Envelopes 81 PapPet Paper + plastic Consumer packaging, pet food bags, cold store grocery bags, ice cream containers, cardboard cans, disposable plates 82 C/PAP Paper and fibreboard/Aluminium Butter & margarine wrappers, chewing gum foil, cigarette inner liners, soup/sauce sachets, candy bar wraps 83 C/PAP Paper and fibreboard/Tinplate Composite cans (e.g., cocoa powder, infant formula), high-end tea canisters, heavy-duty mailing tubes, luxury gift tubes (whisky/perfume) 84 C/PAP (or PapAl) Paper and cardboard/plastic/aluminium Liquid storage containers, juice boxes, cardboard cans, cigarette pack liners, gum wrappers, cartridge shells for blanks, fireworks colouring material, Tetra Brik. 85 C/PAP Paper and fibreboard/Plastic/Aluminium/Tinplate Large industrial canisters or specific heavy-duty dry food storage 87 CSL (Card-Stock Laminate) Biodegradable plastic Laminating material, special occasion cards, bookmarks, business cards, flyers/advertising 90 C/LDPE Plastics/Aluminium Plastic toothpaste tubes/some vacuum packed coffee bags 91 C/LDPE Plastic/TinplateLaminated wet-wipe canisters, industrial grease tubs 92 C/LDPE Plastic/Miscellaneous metals Anti-static electronics bags, specialized vacuum-sealed industrial parts 95 C/GL Glass/Plastic Safety-coated laboratory bottles, aerosol perfume glass, shatter-proof cosmetic jars 96 C/GL Glass/Aluminium Pharmaceutical vials with crimped caps, premium spirits bottles with metal sleeves 97 C/GL Glass/Tinplate Decorative food jars, high-end candle jars, vintage-style apothecary bottles, heavy-duty storage canisters 98 C/GL Glass/Miscellaneous metals Vacuum-insulated glass panels, high-end laboratory electronics, specialized optical lenses 99 other Solar panels, high-tech vacuum packaging, specialized military "MRE" pouches, heavy-duty electronics shielding
Chinese codes for plastics products
The Standardization Administration of the People's Republic of China (SAC) has defined material codes for different types of plastics in the document GB 16288-2008. The numbers are consistent with RIC up to #6.Standardization Administration of the People’s Republic of China (SAC) GB 16288-2008. Marking of plastics products . Chinese Standard Publishing House, Beijing; 2008, as cited in E. J. Hunt, C. Zhang, N.Anzalone, and J. M. Pearce. Polymer Recycling Codes for Distributed Manufacturing with 3-D Printers, Resources, Conservation and Recycling 97, pp. 24–30 (2015). doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2015.02.004