About this episode

This episode discusses the upcoming changes to recycling labels in the EU and their potential impact on recycling practices in the UK.

Recycling labels are about to change, but will they actually make recycling easier? In this episode, we look at the EU’s plans for harmonised packaging labels, including a proposed system of 24 different pictograms. Harmonisation sounds like a good idea, but what happens when those labels appear on packaging in the UK without matching labels on our bins? And are we moving from a simple instruction telling us what to do with our packaging, to a system that simply tells us what it’s made from? ...

People in this episode

Hosts: James Piper, Robbie Staniforth

Topics covered

• recycling labels
• EU packaging plans
• harmonisation
• pictograms
• packaging instructions

Keywords

• recycling
• labels
• EU
• packaging
• harmonisation
• pictograms
• instructions

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: EU

Places: UK

More episodes of Talking Rubbish - The Recycling Podcast

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• 107. Why our bins keep catching fire · August 12, 2026 · 60 min
• 106. Why your fridge is making you waste food · August 5, 2026 · 60 min
• 105. The free food app rescuing millions of meals, with Tessa Clarke from Olio · July 29, 2026 · 60 min
• 104. Why flexible plastic might never be recycled · July 22, 2026 · 60 min

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