Plastic packaging
Recyclability is judged per component against the Decision Table. Bottles and rigid trays qualify; films, sleeves and multilayer laminates do not.
Bottle · Plastic
Tray / Punnet · Plastic
Bag · Plastic
Lidding film · Plastic
Paper & card
Clean paper and board is recycled. Liquid cartons and plastic-coated paper are labelled NOT RECYCLED until collection is proven in practice and at scale.
Sleeve · Paper
Carton / Box · Paper
Liquid carton · Plastic
Metal
Aluminium and tinplate are collected and recycled at high rates across South Africa.
Can · Aluminium
Tin · Metal
Bottle · Plastic
Approved special instructions
Only these instructions may appear in the special instruction block, and only where the action changes the recycling outcome.
Empty and replace cap
On fruit juice bottles
Empty contents and re-attach closure
Where container and closure are both recyclable but the lid must be attached to get through sorting
Recycle if clean & dry
Microwaveable meals — usually PP
Replace cap
On glass bottles and containers
Separate lidding
On ready meals where film may be multilayer PE
Separate plastic film
On boxes of chocolates wrapped in plastic
Separate plastic window
On gift boxes with plastic windows
Separate pump
On household cleaners with pump nozzles
Separate shrink sleeve
Full-body labels on plastic bottles
Rinse before recycling
Containers eaten out of, e.g. yoghurt tubs
Flatten and replace cap
Where required by the supplier or recycler
Standard packaging component names
Use these reference names in the packaging component block so that labels read consistently across brands.
Artwork rules
- Typeface: Futura LT — Book (bold) for component and material, Medium for instructions. Minimum font size 3 pt.
- Minimum width: 7 mm per block in the primary portrait format, 14 mm in the secondary landscape format.
- Colour: green Pantone 5301 C (C62 M0 Y95 K0), grey 70% black, black Pantone Black C. A black-and-white or single-brand-colour version may be used where colour is constrained.
- Material identification codes (resin codes) stay separate from the OPRL label to avoid confusing consumers.