TEA
“The team analyzed…that a single plastic tea bag steeped in hot water releases around 11.6 billion microplastics…and 3.1 billion nanoplastics. ’We think that it is a lot when compared to other foods that contain microplastics,’…A cup of tea contains thousands of times greater mass of plastic, at 16 micrograms per cup.”
Editor's Choice
Value Pick
Buying loose leaf tea in bulk is always the most affordable option. While this can be found online, shopping at a local tea, coffee, spice shop is better for your local business and more fun! This may require some research, as stores widely vary in their prices. We often bring our reusable 4oz jars and it costs only a few dollars to fill it all the way up.
TRADITIONAL MEDICINALS
Loose leaf tea is not wrapped, so they seemingly require less production and are safer health-wise. These can often be found in bulk tea/coffee/spice stores (bring your reusable jars), bulk bags online, or in grocery store isles.
Compost tea bags made of: cotton (and cotton string), cornstarch (soil-on), manila hemp, 100% silk, cellulose (wood pulp), PLA (bio-based)
Do not compost: staples, glue (plastic polypropylene sealant found in glue sealed bags), chlorine bleached paper, faux "silken" bags, and other synthetic materials (nylon, PLA, PET). If you cannot find material labels, when in doubt, landfill to avoid contaminating compost facilities.