Universal recycling symbol: ♲ and ♻︎
The recycling symbol is three chasing arrows folded into a triangle, often called a Möbius loop. Unicode has two main versions: ♲ UNIVERSAL RECYCLING SYMBOL (U+2672), drawn as an outline, and ♻︎ BLACK UNIVERSAL RECYCLING SYMBOL (U+267B), a solid version. Only ♻︎ has an emoji form, which most phones show as green arrows ♻️.
The design was created by Gary Anderson, then a college student, for a 1970 contest run by the Container Corporation of America around the first Earth Day. It is in the public domain, so anyone can use it.
Plastic codes 1 to 7 (♳ to ♹)
The numbered arrows ♳ to ♹ are resin identification codes. They tell sorters what kind of plastic an item is made of: ♳ 1 PET (water and soda bottles), ♴ 2 HDPE (milk jugs, detergent bottles), ♵ 3 PVC (pipes, some packaging), ♶ 4 LDPE (plastic bags, squeeze bottles), ♷ 5 PP (yogurt cups, bottle caps), ♸ 6 PS (foam cups, takeout boxes) and ♹ 7 Other (all other plastics and mixes).
A code does not mean an item is recyclable where you live; it only names the plastic. Newer labels under the ASTM D7611 standard replace the arrows with a plain solid triangle to avoid that confusion, so always check your local rules.
More recycling signs and how to type them
♺ is the recycling symbol for generic materials, ♼ means recycled paper and ♽ means partially recycled paper. For general eco messages, pair ♻︎ with 🌱 🌍 or 💚.
In Microsoft Word, type 2672 (♲) or 267B (♻︎) and press Alt + X. On phones, search "recycle" in the emoji keyboard to get ♻️. The other characters have no emoji form, so copy them from this page. More planet symbols are on the globe symbols and leaf symbol pages.