The recycling symbol is a powerful graphic — three arrows chasing each other in a triangle, representing the cycle of reduce, reuse, and recycle. Learning to draw it correctly is both an art exercise and an environmental lesson rolled into one.

🖍️ What You Need

  • Pencil and eraser
  • Green marker (recycling green: #34a853 or similar)
  • Black pen for outlines
  • Ruler (optional, helps with arrow spacing)

How to Draw the Recycling Symbol Step by Step

  1. Draw a triangle guideline — a large equilateral triangle in pencil. This will guide the three arrows.
  2. Draw the first arrow — along the bottom edge of the triangle, draw a thick curved band with an arrowhead pointing right.
  3. Draw the second arrow — along the right edge, a thick curved band with an arrowhead pointing upward-left.
  4. Draw the third arrow — along the left edge, a thick curved band with an arrowhead pointing downward.
  5. Curve the arrows — the recycling symbol's arrows curve around the corners. Round each arrow at the triangle's corners.
  6. Check the flow — all three arrows should flow in the same direction (clockwise or counterclockwise). The most common version is counterclockwise.
  7. Erase the triangle guideline — remove the original triangle once the arrows are drawn.
  8. Colour green — the universal recycling colour is a medium green.
💡 Parikshet's Tip: The arrows in the recycling symbol each overlap the next one — the head of arrow 1 goes over the tail of arrow 3. Drawing this overlap correctly is what makes it look like a true recycling symbol rather than three separate arrows.

How to Draw a Recycling Symbol: Step-by-Step for Kids

The recycling symbol is three arrows chasing each other in a triangle. Draw the triangle first, then bend the arrows around it.

What You'll Need

  • Pencil (HB or 2B)
  • Eraser
  • White drawing paper
  • Black marker for the outline
  • Green pencil
  • Coloured pencils or crayons

Step-by-Step: Drawing a Recycling Symbol

Step 1: Draw a triangle

Draw a light triangle with three equal sides. This is only a guide.

Step 2: Draw the first arrow

Along one side of the triangle, draw a thick arrow band. Add a pointed arrowhead at the end.

Step 3: Bend it around the corner

At the corner, let the arrow bend to follow the next side.

Step 4: Draw the second arrow

Repeat on the second side. Make sure the arrow follows the first.

Step 5: Draw the third arrow

Repeat on the third side so the arrows chase each other around.

Step 6: Add the arrowheads

Check that each arrowhead points to the next arrow.

Step 7: Add a bin or a leaf

Beside the symbol, draw a recycling bin or a leaf.

Step 8: Outline and erase

Trace with a marker and erase the triangle guide.

Colouring Your Recycling Symbol

Use green for all three arrows. Use a darker green on the edges and a lighter green in the centre of each arrow for a 3D look.

Tips for Drawing a Recycling Symbol

  • Check that all three arrows are the same size.
  • Draw the guide triangle very lightly so you can erase it easily.

Try This With ChatGPT

With a grown-up, open a new ChatGPT chat and paste this prompt, changing [my age] to your age:

I am [my age] years old and I want to draw Recycle. Give me 6 steps using only simple shapes like circles, ovals and lines. Give one step at a time and wait until I type “next” before giving the following step.

Exact steps, follow-up prompts and safety rules are in our parent-guided ChatGPT guide. More ideas: creative AI activities for kids.