Can you put teabags in your composter?

Do you like tea? Well, most people do but what do you do with used tea bags (or tea mixes)? Throwing them away is a waste! However, we should point out that there is a difference between loose tea (tea leaves) and teabags. While tea bags (usually various dried herbs and tea) are good source of nitrogen and are suitable for composting because they decompose quickly, the same is not true for the actual tea bag material. These little bags are made of different materials and not all of them are suitable for composting as they may remain whole for long time.

Tea bags

While one manufacturer may use teabags that break down easily, other manufacturers may use more resilient materials which may slow down the decomposition process. If you want to compost your tea, the best way to do it is to remove it from the bag. Throw away the bag and only use the tea or herbs. This is the safest way because you do not want to investigate what particular tea bags are made of. They are usually made of paper or polypropylene plastic (or a combination of both). Some teabags also contain a rather resilient string.

Photo: Pixabay

Which bags may go your composter?

If you are able to find out what your tea bag is made of, you can decide whether you can use it in your composter. Paper tea bags can be composted but, plastic teabags cannot. Plastic is not biodegradable. Anyway, you cannot go wrong if you remove tea leaves from inside and put them in your composter, but that takes some time and not everyone will do that. A little advice: Check the packaging for information whether the manufacturer uses paper bags or not. You should also know that some paper bags are equipped with a thermoplastic lining and you should not put them in your composter.

Another tip

You may be able to tell whether you are using paper or plastic teabags by looking at it. Shiny tea bags are plastic. If you see letters “PLA,” you have a plant-based plastic, which is compostable under certain conditions, but you need to create temperature of 60°C, which is not possible in most home composters. If you want to be sure, contact the company directly.

Source:

https://www.ireceptar.cz/zahrada/pytliky-od-caje-kompost-30000812.html

Can You Compost Tea Bags? The Truth About Tea and Composting

Preview photo: Pixabay