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Georgia: sustainable packaging labelling
Georgia requires rigid plastic containers and bottles manufactured for use in the state or offered for sale there to carry a molded 1-7 resin code. The statute gives a specific rule for compatible secondary components and requires code 7 when the materials are incompatible for recycling.
Executive summary
Georgia Code section 12-8-34 makes it unlawful to manufacture for use in Georgia or offer for sale in Georgia a rigid plastic container or bottle that lacks the prescribed resin-identification label. The rule has applied since 1 January 1991. The code is molded into the plastic product and uses the familiar 1-7 number-and-letter system inside a detailed chasing-arrows triangle.
Georgia’s treatment of secondary materials is more informative than a simple predominant-resin rule. A container with a base cup or another secondary material may carry the basic-material code if the materials are compatible in recycling systems. If they are not compatible, code 7 OTHER is appropriate. Code 7 also covers all other resins and layered multimaterial. The analysis therefore requires information about component compatibility, not only the resin forming the main wall.
Legal status at a glance
| Requirement | Status | Operational meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Rigid plastic bottles and containers | mandatory | Covered products manufactured for use in Georgia or offered for sale in the state must carry the molded resin code. |
| Code design | mandatory | The mark uses a number inside the prescribed equilateral chasing-arrows triangle and the material letters below. |
| Compatible secondary material | classification rule | A base cup or other secondary component may carry the basic-material code when materials are compatible in recycling systems. |
| Incompatible or layered material | mandatory code 7 | Code 7 OTHER applies where secondary materials are incompatible and to other resins and layered multimaterial. |
Scope and regulated activity
The statute covers rigid plastic containers and rigid plastic bottles manufactured for use in Georgia or offered for sale in the state. Its manufacture-for-use language reaches in-state production decisions, while the offer-for-sale branch reaches market stock regardless of where it was molded. Businesses should not assume that an out-of-state origin removes the requirement.
The converter controls the molded code, but the party commissioning the package and the seller need the underlying resin and compatibility evidence. Specifications should state the intended Georgia market, resin category, secondary components, required code and mold location. A change in barrier layer, base cup or label construction should reopen the assessment.
Code design and resin categories
The label consists of a number inside an equilateral triangle formed by three arrows and letters below. The statute describes the rounded arrows, arrowhead placement, gaps and clockwise path. The categories are 1 PETE, 2 HDPE, 3 V, 4 LDPE, 5 PP, 6 PS and 7 OTHER. Code 7 expressly includes all other resins and layered multimaterial.
Because the code is molded into the product, it should be checked in tooling and in finished parts. A correct drawing does not establish that every mold cavity is legible. Quality records should include close photographs or measurements from production samples.
Secondary components and recycling compatibility
A base cup or other component made from a secondary material may carry the basic-material code when the materials are compatible in recycling systems. Otherwise, the statute directs use of 7 OTHER. This creates a factual compatibility decision. Teams should document the secondary material, attachment method, separation behaviour and recycling-system evidence used to select the code.
The rule should not be inverted into a broad recyclability claim. Even a package coded with the basic resin because its secondary component is compatible may face limitations arising from shape, colour, labels, adhesives, contents or collection access. Resin identification and consumer-facing recyclability remain separate determinations.
Environmental claims and enforcement context
Section 12-8-34 prescribes material identification but does not grant a safe harbour for the word “recyclable” or a marketing use of chasing arrows. The FTC Green Guides and Georgia’s generally applicable consumer-protection law remain relevant to the overall impression. Any unqualified recyclable claim should be supported by realistic collection availability and by the package’s full design, not only its number.
The marking provision states that nonconforming manufacture or sale is unlawful. The applicable enforcement powers and remedies should be confirmed in the current Comprehensive Solid Waste Management Act and related law for the actor and conduct at issue rather than reduced to an unsupported universal fine.
Practical compliance checklist
Identify whether the item is a rigid plastic bottle or container; confirm intended manufacture for use or sale in Georgia; collect the main and secondary material specifications; assess recycling compatibility; select codes 1-6 or 7; inspect the molded triangle, number and letters; and retain production evidence. Run a separate federal claims review for any recycling or sustainability language.
For common national tooling, compare Georgia’s required chasing-arrows form with states that restrict use of chasing arrows as a recyclability representation. A multi-state solution may require careful mold, sales-destination and legal analysis rather than a single unexamined symbol.
Primary sources and verification
Georgia Code. O.C.G.A. section 12-8-34, labelling rigid plastic containers and bottles. Current consolidated statutory text
Georgia General Assembly. Georgia statutes and legislative records portal. Official legislature
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
The compatibility decision for secondary components should be supported in the technical file. Last verified: 21 August 2026.