Gardeners are being urged to tear open their teabags before adding them to compost this October, because many branded teabags contain plastic that will never break down.
Composting turns kitchen scraps such as potato peel, carrot skins and banana peels into rich, nutritious compost that boosts plants and leads to bigger, stronger fruit and vegetables, as well as healthier flowers. A compost pile can be started anywhere in the garden with a simple plastic bin, though more expensive options include wooden composters, multi-opening 'hot bins' and other designs. On a budget, a plastic box or an old bin with a lid will work if air holes are added for the bacteria that break down the material.
Plastic in teabags
However, people adding teabags to their compost have been told they must tear open the bags first and pour the raw tea leaves in directly. This is because many top branded teabags sold today contain plastic. Many supermarket brands use it in their teabags, which means they will never break down in compost, leaving plastic residue behind and contaminating the compost with leached plastic chemicals.
Even plant-based teabags, such as those used by Yorkshire Tea, should be cut open, with the bag disposed of separately rather than in the compost bin.
Official guidance
Yorkshire Tea says: "PLA tea bags are sometimes called 'plastic free', but we’ve never used that label and WRAP, the people behind the UK Plastics Pact, also advise against it because plant-based plastics are still plastics. You can snip open your used tea bags, compost the tea inside at home, and put the bag itself in your refuse bin. If you don’t want to do that, the alternative is to put your tea bag in your refuse bin."
Consumer advice magazine Which? explains: "Tea bags have traditionally been sealed with a plastic called polyproplene, which enables their edges to be heat sealed and stop them falling apart in hot water. Small amounts were used, but it prevented them being composted and, due to the enormous amount of tea bags used in the UK, it generated a large amount of plastic waste."
The advice from the UK Tea & Infusions Association is to rip open the bags before placing the used tea leaves on the compost heap and dispose of the teabag paper separately in the bin, where it will go to landfill.
