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Near-identical crossed-out wheeled-bin pictograms governed by two separate EU directives — differentiated mainly by the presence of chemical-symbol lettering.
They use the same crossed-out wheeled bin. Look underneath it: chemical letters (Hg, Cd or Pb) mean it is the battery mark; a plain bar, or nothing, means it is the WEEE mark for electrical equipment. Both instruct separate collection rather than making any recyclability claim.
Both belong to the Packaging, recycling and disposal symbols system.
Drawn from the visual attributes recorded for each symbol. Only traits the two records disagree about are listed.
| Trait | WEEE symbol | Battery recycling symbol |
|---|---|---|
| Built from | objects | objects and letter like |
| WEEE symbol | Battery recycling symbol | |
|---|---|---|
| Base pictogram | Crossed-out wheeled bin | The same crossed-out wheeled bin |
| Distinguishing detail | May carry a solid bar beneath the bin for post-2005 goods | Chemical letters (Hg, Cd and/or Pb) beneath the bin if thresholds are exceeded |
| Governing directive | EU WEEE Directive (2002/96/EC, recast 2012/19/EU) | EU Battery Directive (2006/66/EC) |
| Applies to | Electrical and electronic equipment generally | Batteries and accumulators specifically |
| Relationship (from Symbolwise's records) | Commonly confused with Battery recycling symbol — Both belong to the Packaging, recycling and disposal symbols system. | Commonly confused with WEEE symbol — Both belong to the Packaging, recycling and disposal symbols system. |
Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive
Wikipedia · retrieved 2026-07-27
Directive 2006/66/EC on batteries and accumulators and waste batteries and accumulators
EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the European Union) · retrieved 2026-07-27
IEC 60417-6414 — Graphical symbol: separate collection for waste electrical and electronic equipment
ISO/IEC Online Browsing Platform · retrieved 2026-07-27
They give opposite instructions about your household bin. The three chasing arrows say the material is generally recyclable. The crossed-out wheeled bin says this item must not go in general waste at all and has to be taken to a separate electrical-waste collection point — it is a legal requirement, not a recycling suggestion.
Biodegradable is close to meaningless on its own: almost everything degrades eventually, and the claim names no timescale and no conditions. Compostable states both. That gap is why unqualified biodegradability claims are restricted in several jurisdictions, and why a compostable mark is worth more than a biodegradable one.
CE covers the European Economic Area; UKCA covers Great Britain. Both are the manufacturer's own declaration that a product meets the requirements applying to it, and for most product categories nobody grants or checks them. Neither is a safety certification or a mark of quality, which is how both are widely read. UKCA's territory is Great Britain rather than the whole United Kingdom, because Northern Ireland follows the EU regime.
The organic scheme is the stricter of the two and prohibits synthetic inputs outright. The green food scheme permits limited use of them under controlled conditions, and exists as an achievable step between conventional production and organic certification. A product carrying the green food mark has met a real standard, and it is not the organic one.