America’s most recognized recycling label, How2Recycle, launched a new label featuring Recycle Check, a QR code that gives consumers a clear, yes-no answer about what is recyclable based on zip code.GreenBlue's How2Recycle (H2R) program just completed a momentous few days in Chicago.
A spate of new developments were incrementally unveiled over the course of the week, culminating today with H2R's launch of How2Recycle Plus, which uses on QR-based connectivity to tap into The Recycling Partnership's Recycle Check platform and corresponding National Recycling Database.
CPG giant Danone is the first company to adopt the new How2Recycle Plus label on select new Silk brand products by the end of the year, hitting store shelves soon.America’s most recognized recycling label, How2Recycle, launched a new label featuring Recycle Check, a QR code that gives consumers a clear, yes-no answer about what is recyclable based on zip code.
All of H2R's recent moves fall under the umbrella of How2Recycle Forward, a brand refresh that aims to future-proof the venerable H2R program by evolving it for the modern consumer—and the modern waste recovery stream.
Kicking things off on Monday during the Sustainable Packaging Coalition's SPC Advance 2024 conference, How2Recycle Forward unveiled a set of freshly designed on-label/on-pack recycling instruction symbols, icons, and messages. These will now bear the How2Recycle Pro moniker. Outgoing symbols, in use since 2012 and now termed How2Recycle Legacy, will be sunsetted as brands transition to the new symbology.
"The How2Recycle Forward campaign isn't just about a label—it's not even just about recycling. It’s about changing our relationship to disposal to drive better environmental outcomes,” said Paul Nowak, executive director of GreenBlue. “The How2Recycle program has the base, the reach, and the drive we need to create a more circular economy and a cleaner environment for generations to come."
Stakeholders say that the new iconography and text combine are "designed to be actionable, clear, and compliant with new regulations. ... How2Recycle’s more than 800 members will be able to adopt the dynamic How2Recycle Plus featuring Recycle Check label, bringing the newly integrated label to packages nationwide." 
How2Recycle Legacy (left) compared to the new How2Recycle Pro (right).
Also piquing our attention on Monday was another design on the slide that Nowak displayed, a data matrix or QR-style code that bore The Recycling Partnership's Recycle Check logo. Details were scarce, but it certainly hinted at more information to come.
Sure enough, Nowak and Katherine Huded, TRP's VP of recyclability solutions, unveiled today H2R's new dynamic label offering, How2Recycle Plus, which features TRP’s Recycle Check QR code. The pair say thisHow2Recycle Plus will provide trusted real-time local recycling and disposal instructions to Americans beginning in 2025.
“With a How2Recycle label already inside nearly every home in America, the new label, featuring Recycle Check, delivers real-time information on what is accepted for recycling locally to people across the country,” said Huded. "Reducing confusion on what can be recycled is essential to improving the U.S. recycling rate. Real-time, location-specific education is a critical tool for recovering the 76% of what could be recycled but is instead sent to landfills or incinerators."
This new label offering comes after a year-long pilot that paired the widely recognized How2Recycle Legacy Label with The Recycling Partnership’s Recycle Check QR code.
“How2Recycle has the consumer recognition—eight in 10 Americans recognize our labels—and the brand reach to make it an obvious choice and a simple solution in the evolving world of recycling policy and consumer education,” said GreenBlue Executive Director Paul Nowak. “Now for the first time, we have the data and technology to link national brand packaging with local recycling program acceptance.”
Now, when How2Recycle members opt to adopt the How2Recycle Plus label featuring Recycle Check, the label lets consumers scan the QR code, enter a zip code or allow location permissions and receive a clear, yes-no answer on whether a material is accepted for recycling in their community. How2Recycle Plus featuring Recycle Check draws from TRP's National Recycling Database. The Database includes acceptance data across more than 9,000 unique community recycling programs, representing 99% of the U.S. population. On September 23, the Database released, for the very first time, Community Recycling Program Acceptance Data, which provides critical insights that power digital tools and empowers companies, local governments, policymakers, and the public to navigate recycling acceptance.
In recent years, the fragmented recycling system, changes to material recyclability, and issues with access to recycling have contributed to the erosion of trust in the recycling system. The recycling system is faced with new changes as Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation spreads, states seek to advance “label laws” to regulate recycling chasing arrows, and consumers demand transparency around recycling. To meet the moment, How2Recycle Plus featuring Recycle Check can help clear confusion around recycling and empower individuals to make informed disposal decisions.
 | Read more about The Recycling Partnership's Recycle Check platform, launched last year and now powering How2Recycle Plus. |
Stakeholders say that the power of the How2Recycle Plus label featuring Recycle Check stems in part from the reach of How2Recycle’s members, the widespread recognition of the How2Recycle labels—nearly 84% of Americans recognize the label—and The Recycling Partnership’s robust program-level acceptance data.
Starting today, How2Recycle Plus featuring Recycle Check label is available for brand adoption and application to their packaging. Individuals will begin to find packages featuring this label in 2025. Anyone seeking disposal information today can continue looking for the How2Recycle label for instruction, and find local recycling information with Recycle Check chatbot that provides a clear yes-no answer on what is accepted for recycling today in their community at recyclecheck.org.
The Recycling Partnership also announced that it received a Walmart Foundation grant to help accelerate the rollout of GreenBlue Org's How2Recycle Plus labels featuring Recycle Check on a larger scale.
Supported by Aura’s e-halo platform, TRP says its streamlining packaging information flow from end to end, enabling faster delivery of on-pack recycling education at scale across the U.S.
A TRP LinkedIn post from this week reads: "We’re appreciative that the Walmart Foundation recognized the opportunity to support this critical work, knowing that to build a better recycling system, and divert materials from landfill, we must work together. By leveraging our collective expertise in recycling data, technology, and labeling, we’re making it easier for everyday people to access clear, local, on-pack recycling information—faster than ever. The recycling system is complex, and our collaboration will help reduce confusion for both the industry and everyday people." PW