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Arizona: sustainable packaging labelling
Arizona requires covered plastic bottles and rigid plastic containers sold in the state to display a clearly visible, molded or imprinted 1-7 resin-identification symbol on the bottom. The statute prescribes the legacy chasing-arrows design but does not convert the material code into a recyclability claim.
Executive summary
Arizona Revised Statutes section 49-835 prohibits distribution, sale or exposure for sale of a covered plastic bottle or rigid plastic container without the prescribed resin-identification label. The rule has applied since 1 July 1991. It covers plastic bottles from 16 ounces through 5 gallons and rigid plastic containers from 8 ounces through 5 gallons. The mark must be molded or imprinted on the bottom and clearly visible.
Arizona prescribes the older graphic form: a number within an equilateral triangle formed by three curved arrows, with the corresponding material abbreviation below. Because the graphic resembles a recycling claim, reports and artwork records should state its limited legal purpose. Compliance with section 49-835 identifies the predominant resin; it does not prove that the finished package is collected, sortable or recyclable in every Arizona community.
Legal status at a glance
| Requirement | Status | Operational meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Plastic bottles | mandatory | Covered bottles from 16 ounces through 5 gallons must display the code. |
| Rigid plastic containers | mandatory | Covered rigid containers from 8 ounces through 5 gallons must display the code. |
| Graphic and placement | mandatory | The code must be molded or imprinted, clearly visible and placed on the bottom, using the prescribed equilateral chasing-arrows design. |
| Separate recyclable claim | federal claims control | The required code does not substantiate collection access or actual recyclability. |
Scope and definitions
The statutory thresholds are expressed by container type. A bottle is a container intended for a single use with a neck smaller than the body and a closure; the covered range begins at 16 ounces. A rigid plastic container begins at 8 ounces and extends through 5 gallons. Arizona’s related definitions also describe a plastic container as an airtight or hermetically sealed container made of thermoplastic synthetic polymeric material and meeting the stated wall-thickness condition.
Classification should be documented before artwork or mold approval. Pouches, films, closures and industrial formats may not meet the same definitions, while a jar or tub may fall within the rigid-container branch. An item outside section 49-835 is not automatically outside federal environmental-claims law or other Arizona product requirements.
Prescribed mark and material categories
The symbol must use the number and abbreviation associated with the resin: 1 PETE, 2 HDPE, 3 V, 4 LDPE, 5 PP, 6 PS or 7 OTHER. The triangle is not generic artwork. Section 49-835 describes an equilateral, clockwise path of three arrows, including the relation between arrowheads, sides and gaps. The mark must be molded or imprinted on the bottom and remain clearly visible.
Production controls should connect the bill of materials to the mold cavity and finished sample. Multi-material structures require particular care because a code based only on the principal resin can be technically accurate for identification while the full package remains difficult to recycle. Marketing teams should not convert a tooling decision into an unqualified environmental statement.
Responsible actors and claims interaction
The sales prohibition reaches a person who distributes, sells or exposes the covered container for sale. Manufacturers generally control the mold, but Arizona-facing distributors and retailers should not assume that only an out-of-state converter is accountable. Purchase specifications should require the correct resin code and reserve a process for material changes.
The FTC Green Guides separately govern recyclable, compostable, degradable and recycled-content representations. An Arizona-required chasing-arrows code can contribute to the overall consumer impression, especially when enlarged or repeated on a principal display panel. Businesses should keep the code in its statutory identification role and substantiate any accompanying claim independently.
Enforcement and practical use
Section 49-835 states a market prohibition but does not contain a stand-alone missing-label fine. Enforcement should be assessed through the administering environmental and consumer-protection authorities and any generally applicable remedies, rather than represented as one guaranteed penalty amount. The absence of a section-specific number does not make the duty voluntary.
A useful Arizona approval record includes product form, nominal and actual capacity, resin specification, selected code, mold or imprint location, legibility photographs and federal claim review. When a common national package is used, the Arizona requirement should be compared with states that have moved away from chasing arrows or restrict that symbol as a recyclability representation.
Primary sources and verification
Arizona Legislature. A.R.S. section 49-835, plastic container labels. Official statutory text
Arizona Legislature. A.R.S. section 49-831, definitions. Official statutory text
Federal Trade Commission. Green Guides, 16 CFR Part 260. Official guidance and regulatory text
Federal Trade Commission. Environmental Claims: Summary of the Green Guides. Business guidance
This report treats the resin code as material identification, not proof of recyclability. Last verified: 21 August 2026.