Have you heard that used tea leaves can be recycled as fertilizer, reducing waste and providing nutrients for plants? However, if you brew tea using tea bags and want to compost the used tea bags, there is a crucial step you should take to prevent potential contamination of the compost pile.
According to a report by the UK’s Daily Express, making nutrient-rich natural compost from vegetable peels or food scraps can promote the growth of garden plants, benefiting your garden throughout the year.
You can start composting in your garden using a simple plastic bin placed anywhere, or opt for more expensive and complex options like a wooden compost bin.
Some people may add used tea bags to their compost bins, but it is essential to first tear open the tea bag and empty the tea leaves into the compost bin, while disposing of the packaging separately in the trash.
This is because many branded tea bags’ packaging actually contains plastic that cannot decompose. If the tea bag packaging is thrown into the compost bin, it will leave plastic residues, potentially contaminating the entire compost pile with plastic chemicals.
Even plant-based tea bags, such as Yorkshire Tea (one of the UK’s top-selling traditional black tea brands), should be cut open, with the packaging placed separately in the trash rather than in the compost bin.
The Waste and Resources Action Programme in the UK points out that plant-based plastics are still plastic. The UK consumer magazine Which? explained, “Tea bags are traditionally sealed with a plastic called polypropylene, which allows them to be heat-sealed and prevents them from breaking open in hot water.”
While the amount of polypropylene used is minimal, these tea bags cannot be used for composting. With the widespread use of tea bags, they still generate a significant amount of plastic waste.
The magazine stated that the UK Tea and Infusions Association recommends tearing open the tea bag, adding the used tea leaves to the compost bin, and disposing of the packaging separately in the trash, ultimately ending up in a landfill.
Speaking of plastic in tea bags, a study by the Autonomous University of Barcelona in Spain found that tea bags contain a significant amount of plastic microplastics. Just one tea bag can release billions of plastic particles into the body when brewed.
These particles can be absorbed by intestinal cells and reach the bloodstream, potentially posing health risks to the body. (For more information, click here.)