Does the recycling triangle mean an item is recyclable?

No. The chasing-arrows triangle with a number is a resin identification code that only tells sorters which plastic the item is made of. Whether it is actually recycled depends on the resin, its form and your local collection rules.

Which plastic codes are most widely recycled?

Codes 1 (PET) and 2 (HDPE) are the most valuable and almost universally accepted at kerbside, and code 5 (PP) is increasingly collected. Codes 3 (PVC), 6 (PS) and 7 (Other) are rarely recycled in standard household schemes.

Which plastics are safest for food and heat?

HDPE (2), LDPE (4) and PP (5) are generally regarded as low-leach, and PP is microwave-safe. PVC (3) and PS (6) can leach plasticisers or styrene when heated, and some code 7 polycarbonate may contain BPA, so avoid heating those with food.

What does code 7 actually contain?

Code 7 is a catch-all for everything else, including polycarbonate, ABS, nylon, multilayer packaging and bioplastics such as PLA. Because the composition is mixed or unknown, items marked 7 are usually not recyclable in standard streams, and PLA is compostable rather than recyclable.

Is this data fetched from anywhere?

No. The full reference table and the lookup run entirely in your browser. Nothing is fetched, uploaded or stored.

What is the Plastic Recycling Code Reference?

Reference for the SPI / ASTM D7611 plastic resin identification codes 1 to 7 — PET, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, PP, PS and Other — with common uses, recyclability and safety notes, plus a live lookup. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

Plastic Recycling Code Reference

Name: Plastic Recycling Code Reference
Creator: Gera Tools
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

What the number in the recycling triangle means

The small number inside the chasing-arrows symbol on plastic packaging is a resin identification code, standardised as SPI / ASTM D7611. It identifies the polymer so recyclers can sort it — but it does not promise that the item is recycled where you live. This reference covers all seven codes with their uses, recyclability and safety notes, and lets you look any of them up instantly.

How it works

Each code maps to a specific polymer family:

1  PET / PETE  Polyethylene terephthalate   bottles, food trays
2  HDPE        High-density polyethylene     milk jugs, detergent bottles
3  PVC / V     Polyvinyl chloride            pipes, cling film, blister packs
4  LDPE        Low-density polyethylene      carrier bags, film, squeeze bottles
5  PP          Polypropylene                 yoghurt pots, caps, microwave tubs
6  PS          Polystyrene                   cutlery, CD cases, foam packaging
7  OTHER / O   Everything else (PC, PLA…)    mixed or multilayer items

Recyclability roughly tracks the code: 1, 2 and increasingly 5 are accepted at kerbside because they sort cleanly and have resale value, while 3, 6 and 7 are mixed, low-value or contaminating and usually go to landfill or specialist streams.

Why the triangle is not a recycling promise

The chasing-arrows design was intentionally chosen to resemble the universal recycling symbol, which has caused decades of confusion. A bottle stamped with a triangle and a “1” is not guaranteed to be collected where you live — it simply tells the sorting machine operator that the resin is PET. Your local council’s accepted-items list overrides every code on the packaging.

The distinction matters most for soft plastics. Code 4 carrier bags and code 3 cling films look like packaging you would expect to recycle, but they jam the mechanical sorters at most materials recovery facilities. They need separate collection — usually an in-store drop-off bin.

Code-by-code practical guide

Code 1 – PET. The clearest recycling success story. Water and drinks bottles, peanut butter jars, and oven-ready trays. Accepted at virtually all kerbside schemes; crushed bottles are ideal. Do not confuse with film or opaque trays in some localities, which may be excluded even though the number is the same.

Code 2 – HDPE. Milk jugs, shampoo bottles, detergent containers, and rigid tubs. Almost universally recycled and highly valuable because it downcycles cleanly into plastic lumber, pipes, and new bottles.

Code 3 – PVC. Credit-card stiffness blister packs, some cling film, window frames, and plumbing pipe. Rarely accepted at kerbside because chlorine in the resin contaminates other plastics and the recycling process itself produces harmful by-products. Usually landfill.

Code 4 – LDPE. Flexible, stretchy films: grocery bags, bread bags, bubble wrap, and squeezable bottles. The film jams kerbside machinery — take it to supermarket soft-plastic drop-off points instead. Some councils do accept rigid LDPE bottles.

Code 5 – PP. Yoghurt pots, bottle caps, microwave trays, and some food containers. Historically patchy collection, but UK and EU schemes increasingly accept it. Caps and lids should usually stay on their bottles rather than being placed loose (where they fall through sorting screens).

Code 6 – PS. Brittle polystyrene cutlery and packaging, plus expanded foam takeaway boxes. Rarely recycled in standard streams because it is low-density, hard to sort, and the recycled material has limited resale value. Foam expanders are sometimes collected by specialist companies.

Code 7 – OTHER. A catch-all for everything else: polycarbonate drink bottles, ABS electronics casings, nylon, multilayer coffee pouches, and bioplastics including PLA. Composition is unknown from the code alone, so most schemes reject everything stamped 7. PLA is compostable but only in industrial facilities — home compost bins are too cool.

Tips and notes

Always rinse and empty containers — food residue contaminates a whole batch and can send an otherwise recyclable load to landfill.
Soft films (code 4) jam kerbside machinery; take carrier bags and wrappers to supermarket drop-off bins instead.
A compostable PLA item marked code 7 must go to industrial composting, not recycling and not a home compost bin.
The code tells you the material, but your local council’s accepted-items list is the final word — check it before binning.
Black plastic, whatever its code, is often non-recyclable because the carbon pigment absorbs the infrared scan that sorting machines use to identify the resin.