Our Promises
# The Meaning of Food Packaging Recycling Symbols
Published: 05/03/2026
AuthorBy Nestlé Cereals
Reading time: 5 min.
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No doubt you’ve seen various logos and symbols on food packaging, including on your favourite cereals, about how to recycle or dispose of the pack. From OPRL (On-Pack Recycling Label) to the Tidy Man, we all probably recognise them but don’t necessarily understand what they mean. Luckily, it’s easy to learn the meaning behind these regularly used symbols. Read on!
As part of our Cereal Partners' [better planet promise](https://www.nestle-cereals.com/uk/our-promises/better-planet/cereal-box-recycling-tips), we want to make sure cereal lovers understand recycling and disposal symbols and where you can, and should, recycle your cereal boxes and bags as well as other types of food and drink packaging.
## What is OPRL and what do the recycling labels mean?
OPRL stands for On-Pack Recycling Label and was created to help UK consumers recycle and dispose of packaging correctly. OPRL logos use a binary method of on pack logos “Recycle” or “Do Not Recycle”, so you can see exactly how to dispose of your packaging.
## Are OPRL logos widely used in the UK?
In a word yes! [Many large and small retailers stock packs featuring OPRL logos](https://oprl.org.uk/what-we-do/). This includes a lot of the top 100 brands. This means you should regularly spot OPRL logos on food and drink packs you buy.
Of course, not only grocery retailers use the OPRL logos, but Nestlé Cereals and many other brands do too. We know that OPRL logos are widely used and recognised, which is why we want to use them and help you recycle better.
## Understanding key OPRL logos you’ll see
OPRL offer a simple, visual way to inform you whether you can simply pop the packaging in your household recycling bin or need to take it to a local recycling point – typically an in-store collection point.
### The Recycle Label
**Cereal Boxes:**
All of [our Nestlé cereals](https://www.nestle-cereals.com/uk/brands/go-free) cartons, have this label on them now. If you see this, it means that you can recycle the box in your household recycling bin.
**Cereal bags (the bags inside the boxes!)**
Fortunately, some plastic films and bags can now be recycled at your local supermarket's soft plastic collection points, including cereal bags. These points are normally located near the entrance, close to the tills.
### The Do Not Recycle label
The Do Not Recycle OPRL means that currently there are [less than 50% of councils which recycle this type of packaging](https://wasteless.zerowastescotland.org.uk/articles/recycling-packaging-symbols-explained). If you see an OPRL on food packaging that has ‘Check Locally Kerbside’ written on it, this means that you may well be part of a council which will recycle this type of packaging.
Normally a Do Not Recycle OPRL means the packaging can’t be recycled. However, if your pack has multiple OPRLs on it make sure you follow the instructions for each part of the packaging to make the most of recycling opportunities. It may be that the plastic sleeve of a pack can’t be recycled but the cardboard parts can!
## OPRL which show some additional actions are needed to aid recycling
Don’t worry if you see OPRL which asks you to take some additional actions like rinsing or putting a lid back on before recycling. It will only take a couple of extra minutes and by following the actions you’ll be helping to make sure the packaging can be recycled well. Here are some examples of what you might see:
###
### Recycle | Rinse
This recycle packaging symbol will be seen on items such as yoghurt pots, baked beans tins, and soup cartons. The label is in place to encourage people to rinse their products before popping them into their household recycling waste bin. This ensures that any food product residue doesn’t come into contact with other materials that are being collected together.
###
### Recycle | Rinse | Lid on
Lids on products that are under 40mm in diameter are too small to be filtered for recycling. They tend to slip through the holes that are used to filter items at the sorting facility. If you see this recycling symbol, make sure you put the lid back on your product after rinsing it out. This will make sure it gets recycled properly at the sorting facility.
### Recycle | Bottle Cap On | Don’t Recycle | Remove Sleeve
This food packaging recycling symbol is mostly seen when there is an element that needs to be removed before recycling such as a sleeve, film, or bottle cap.
In some instances, for example with fruit juice cartons, it's recommended to flatten the carton and reattach the cap before recycling.
### The Tidy Man
This is a symbol on food packaging that many of us will be extremely familiar with. Despite not being related to recycling, the Tidy Man is a kind reminder to be a good citizen by disposing of your packaging carefully and thoughtfully and to not litter.
### The Green Dot
You may see this symbol on some packs. The green dot means that a financial contribution has been made towards how the packaging will be disposed of. Featuring the dot does not necessarily mean that the packaging is recyclable. So, make sure you look out for the OPRLs and recycling instructions.
## Recycling advice for our consumers in Ireland
Here at Nestlé, we believe it’s important that everyone in the UK and in Ireland can understand how to dispose of their packaging.
You have now read a lot about OPRL, however, these symbols only apply in the UK. So, what about consumers in Ireland? We are introducing a new Ireland-specific logo on our packs. As consumers in Ireland can recycle flexible plastics at the kerbside. If you want more information on recycling and disposal of packaging in Ireland, please visit [mywaste.ie](https://www.mywaste.ie/).
That is our handy guide on pack labels and what they mean. We hope that this guide has given you more knowledge on how to correctly dispose of and recycle packaging. Want to know more about how we at Cereal Partners are working to make a difference? Take a look at [our promises](https://www.nestle-cereals.com/uk/our-promises/better-planet/cereal-box-recycling-tips) for more insight.
### [BETTER LIVES PROMISE](/uk/our-promises/better-life)
[View more](/uk/our-promises/better-life "View more - BETTER LIVES PROMISE")
### [BETTER FOOD PROMISE](/uk/our-promises/better-food)
[View more](/uk/our-promises/better-food "View more - BETTER FOOD PROMISE")
### [BETTER PLANET PROMISE](/uk/our-promises/better-planet)
[View more](/uk/our-promises/better-planet "View more - BETTER PLANET PROMISE")