♻️ Recycling Symbol

The ♻️ Recycling Symbol emoji belongs to the miscellaneous symbols, filed by Unicode under Symbols. In practice it comes up around recycle, recycling and symbol.

♻️ fits messaging apps, social networks and anywhere a short visual cue helps. On SmileyZone it is filed under Symbols and Signs. The character has been part of the standard since 2010 (Emoji 0.6). Its code point is U+267B.

• ♻️ works as a one-character reply when recycle is the subject.
• Fits messages about recycle, recycling and symbol.
• Often seen near ⚕️ Medical Symbol, ⚜️ Fleur-De-Lis and 🔱 Trident Emblem.

The recycling symbol was designed in 1970 by the student Gary Anderson for a competition marking the first Earth Day. It is deliberately unprotected and free to use – which is also its problem.

On packaging the symbol often says nothing about actual recyclability; in the EU, separate labels now govern what can genuinely be recycled. The Green Dot, for instance, means only that a company has paid a licence fee.

• ♻️🔰 – Recycling Symbol and Japanese Symbol for Beginner
• ♻️📛 – Recycling Symbol with Name Badge
• ♻️⭕️ – Recycling Symbol plus Hollow Red Circle
• ♻️⚕️ – Recycling Symbol and Medical Symbol
• ♻️➰ – Recycling Symbol with Curly Loop
• ♻️✔️ – Recycling Symbol plus Check Mark

Easy to mix up with ⚕️ Medical Symbol, ⚜️ Fleur-De-Lis or 🔱 Trident Emblem. They sit in the same Unicode subgroup and look similar at small sizes, so it is worth checking the name before sending.