SymbolHub

Recycling Symbol (♻)

The recycling symbol ♻ is Unicode U+267B, the three chasing arrows of recycling. Press Copy to put it on your clipboard.

Unicode
U+267B
HTML
♻
Word
267B Alt+X

How to type the recycling symbol (♻)

The quickest way is to press Copy above and paste. To type ♻ yourself, use the method for your device below.

Windows

  1. In Word or Outlook, type 267B and press Alt + X. Alt + X converts the hex code before the cursor into the character, and back again.
  2. Press Win + . to open the emoji panel, then search for “recycling”.

Mac

  1. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for recycling and double-click it.
  2. With the Unicode Hex Input keyboard enabled (System Settings → Keyboard → Input Sources), hold Option and type 267B.

Linux & ChromeOS

  1. Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 267b, then press Enter or Space. Works in GTK and IBus apps (GNOME, Firefox, Chrome, LibreOffice) and on ChromeOS.

iPhone & iPad

  1. Open the emoji keyboard and search for “recycling” to insert ♻️, the colour emoji. For the plain text ♻, copy it from this page.
  2. Copy ♻ from this page, then go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Text Replacement and add it with a shortcut such as ;recy. The shortcut then turns into the symbol as you type, in every app.

Android

  1. In Gboard, tap the emoji key and search for “recycling” to insert ♻️. For the plain text ♻, copy it from this page.
  2. Copy ♻ here, then open Gboard settings → Dictionary → Personal dictionary and add it with a shortcut.

Microsoft Word

  1. Type 267B, then press Alt + X.
  2. Insert → Symbol → More Symbols. Set “from” to Unicode (hex), type 267B in “Character code” and click Insert.

Google Docs

  1. Insert → Special characters, then search for “recycling” or draw it in the box.

Excel & Google Sheets

  1. Enter =UNICHAR(9851) in a cell. It works in Excel 2013 and later and in Google Sheets.

HTML

  1. Write ♻ or ♻ in your HTML.

What does ♻ mean?

The recycling symbol is three chasing arrows folded into a triangular Möbius loop. Gary Anderson, a student at the University of Southern California, designed it in 1970 for a contest held by the Container Corporation of America around the first Earth Day. It was never trademarked, so it is free for anyone to use.

The symbol means “recyclable” or “made from recycled material”; it does not guarantee your local service accepts the item. Unicode has several versions. ♻ is the solid BLACK UNIVERSAL RECYCLING SYMBOL, which becomes the green emoji ♻️; ♲ is the outline version; and ♳ to ♹ are the plastic resin codes 1 to 7 printed on packaging, from ♳ PET bottles to ♹ “other” plastics.

Common uses

  • Packaging and labels: ♻ Please recycle
  • Sustainability reports and eco-friendly product listings
  • Marking plastic types with the resin codes ♳ ♴ ♵ ♶ ♷ ♸ ♹

Recycling Symbol codes for HTML, CSS and programming

Every code below produces ♻. Use the HTML entity in web pages, the CSS escape in content, and the escape sequence in source code.

Unicode code pointU+267B
HTML decimal♻
HTML hex♻
CSS contentcontent: "\267B";
JavaScript"\u267B"
Python"\u267B"
Python (by name)"\N{BLACK UNIVERSAL RECYCLING SYMBOL}"
Java / C#"\u267B"
UTF-8 bytesE2 99 BB
UTF-16267B
URL encoded%E2%99%BB

♻ vs look-alike characters

These characters look similar to ♻ but have a different meaning and code. Pasting the wrong one can break search, sorting and screen readers.

CharNameWhen to use it
Universal Recycling Symbol
U+2672		Universal recycling symbol in outline, the original open-arrow form.
Recycling Symbol for Generic Materials
U+267A		Recycling symbol for generic materials.
Recycling Symbol for Type-1 Plastics
U+2673		Resin code 1 (PET or PETE). ♴ to ♹ are codes 2 to 7.
Anticlockwise Downwards and Upwards Open Circle Arrows
U+1F504		Counterclockwise arrows button, an interface “refresh” icon, not recycling.

Symbols similar to ♻

Click to copy, or open a symbol for its codes.

  • Details

♻ character properties

Official Unicode name
BLACK UNIVERSAL RECYCLING SYMBOL
Also known as
recycle symbol, universal recycling symbol, mobius loop
Code point
U+267B
Unicode block
Miscellaneous Symbols (U+2600–U+26FF)
General category
Other symbol (So)
Added in
Unicode 3.2 (2002)
Plane
Basic Multilingual Plane (0)
Emoji
Has an emoji form: ♻️ (add U+FE0F)

Frequently asked questions

What do the numbers inside the recycling triangle mean?

They are resin identification codes for plastics: 1 PET, 2 HDPE, 3 PVC, 4 LDPE, 5 PP, 6 PS and 7 other. Unicode has them as ♳ ♴ ♵ ♶ ♷ ♸ ♹.

Who designed the recycling symbol?

Gary Anderson, then a 23-year-old student, won a 1970 design contest run by the Container Corporation of America with the three-arrow Möbius design.

Is there an alt code for the recycling symbol?

No. ♻ is outside the Windows-1252 and code page 437 character sets, so no Alt + number code produces it. Copy it from this page, type 267B then Alt + X in Word, or find it in Character Map.

How do I type the recycling symbol on a Mac?

There is no single Option shortcut for ♻ on the US layout. Press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer, search for “recycling” and double-click it, or copy it from this page.

What is the HTML code for the recycling symbol?

♻ has no named HTML entity. Use the numeric reference ♻ or ♻, or paste the character directly into a UTF-8 page.

What is the Unicode for the recycling symbol?

♻ is U+267B, officially named BLACK UNIVERSAL RECYCLING SYMBOL, in the Miscellaneous Symbols block. It has been part of Unicode since version 3.2 (2002).