We had a really useful message from a customer this week.
She said:
“I applaud your encouragement of people to turn their food waste into compost, but putting teabags into your wormery or compost heap is not such a good idea. Many teabags still contain plastic, and microplastic is a real scourge of our planet.”
And do you know what?
She is right.
Annoying, but right.
Tea leaves are brilliant. Teabags are the awkward bit.
Tea leaves themselves are absolutely fine.
They are organic matter. They can go in your compost heap, your food waste system, your Bokashi bucket, and your wormery.
Worms are very happy with used tea leaves.
Compost heaps are very happy with used tea leaves.
Soil biology is very happy with used tea leaves.
The problem is not the tea.
The problem is the bag.
Some teabags still contain a small amount of plastic to help seal them. Others use PLA, which is plant-based plastic. That sounds better, and in some ways it is, but it still may not break down properly in a normal home compost heap.
And it is definitely not ideal in a wormery.
Your worms are marvellous little workers, but they are not running an industrial composting plant in there.
The Wiggly rule on teabags
Here’s our updated advice:
Loose leaf tea is best.
If your teabags are clearly marked as plastic-free and home-compostable, they are fine.
If you are not sure, snip the bag open, compost the tea leaves, and put the bag itself in the bin.
It is a tiny faff, but it stops us accidentally adding microplastic or strange half-rotted bag material into the compost we are trying so hard to make lovely.
Why loose leaf tea makes sense
Loose leaf tea avoids the whole teabag problem.
No hidden seal.
No PLA confusion.
No little bag left sitting in your compost.
Just proper tea leaves.
Drink the tea.
Compost the leaves.
Feed the soil.
Make another brew.
It is simple, old-fashioned common sense, which is usually the best sort.
A brilliant Herefordshire option: Trumpers Tea
Even better, we have a cracking Herefordshire business to recommend.
Trumpers Tea is based in Hereford and run by Claire Trumper.
They sell proper loose leaf tea, and they are passionate about good tea.
So if you want to make the switch, this is a lovely one:
Buy better tea.
Support a local Herefordshire business.
Avoid the teabag composting confusion.
Compost the used tea leaves.
Feed your soil.
Put the kettle on again.
You can find Trumpers Tea here:
Exceptional Loose Leaf Tea, Tea Gifts Fairly Traded - Trumpers Tea
Can teabags go in a wormery?
Only if you are absolutely sure they are plastic-free and home-compostable.
Otherwise, split them open and add the tea leaves only.
Wormeries work at worm-friendly temperatures. That is exactly why worms like them. But it also means anything that needs higher heat to break down may just sit there.
And nobody wants a wormery full of old teabag mesh.
Can tea leaves go in Bokashi?
Yes.
Used tea leaves can go into your Bokashi bucket with your other food waste.
If you use loose leaf tea, just tip the leaves in.
If you use teabags and you are not sure what they are made from, split them open and add the tea leaves only.
The Wiggly conclusion
We are not here to make anyone feel bad about their brew.
Most of us have been chucking teabags into compost for years because we thought they were just paper.
Fair enough.
But now we know a bit more, we can do a bit better.
So here’s the simple swap:
Choose loose leaf tea where you can.
Support a local business if possible.
Compost the tea leaves.
Keep questionable teabags out of your compost and wormery.
Tiny change.
Big difference.
And frankly, a proper pot of tea never hurt anyone.
