Australians care about recycling and the Australasian Recycling Label (ARL) is helping us get better at it.
All Australian governments have endorsed the ARL to help make recycling easier.
The label provides you with easy-to-understand recycling information for when you need it most. It makes it easier for you to put packaging in the right bin, but it also removes confusion, saves time and reduces the amount of waste going to landfill.
The label features easy-to-understand instructions about how to dispose of each part of a product’s packaging correctly.
You can find the label on the packaging of tens of thousands of products across Australia, including on many household brands.
The label
There are three variations of the label:
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By looking at the label, you will know which parts of a product’s packaging belong in the recycling bin, the rubbish bin, or which items can be recycled if you follow a simple instruction, such as returning soft plastics to the soft plastic collection bins in your local supermarket.
One way to help you recycle correctly is to follow the phrase, ‘If in doubt, leave it out’. If you’re not sure if an item can be recycled, don’t put it in the recycling bin. Our recycling can’t be made into new products when it is contaminated.
The label was developed by the Australian Packaging Covenant Organisation in partnership with Planet Ark and PREP Design.
Further information
Find more information about the ARL at: http://www.arl.org.au
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Recyclable: The coloured/opaque recycling symbol, means that this piece of packaging can be placed in the recycling bin as it is. Each piece of packaging with this label must be placed separately in the recycling bin.
Conditionally Recyclable: The clear/ transparent recycling symbol means you must follow the instructions to recycle this packaging component. If you don’t follow the instructions, then it must go in the rubbish bin, as it will otherwise not be recycled and cause contamination to the recycling stream.
Not Recyclable: The bin symbol means that this piece of packaging is not recyclable and you must place it in the rubbish bin. DO NOT place it in the recycling bin. It will not get recycled and it will contaminate the recycling stream.