The USA Tea & Infusions Association estimates that 60.2 billion cups of tea are drunk every year in the country. When relaxing with a hot cup of tea, the thought of plastic in the teabags may be the last thing from your mind. As many teabags appear to be made of paper, we may assume that they will biodegrade if tossed into the compost bin after use.
Polypropylene, a synthetic polymer, is, however, a common ingredient in tea bags. This means that a lot of used Tea Bags For Packaging can’t be recycled or composted.
Weirdly, Plastic Is Used in Tea Bags
When it comes to tea bags, plastic is employed in two different ways.
As a first step, Polypropylene is used to both seal the Tea Bags For Packaging and help them maintain their shape when immersed in hot water or tea. It keeps the tea inside the bags when they’re being kept or transported.
In most cases, the amount of plastic is negligible, though it might range widely depending on the manufacturer. Both plastic and paper teabags are susceptible to this.
Although seemingly negligible, when multiplied by the millions of cups of tea sipped every day around the world, the total suddenly becomes substantial. Plastics from these bottles will seep into the soil and kill wildlife. Polypropylene also disrupts the endocrine system, which can lead to a host of other health problems.
For another, the teabag itself may be plastic in some brands. When a bag containing this plastic is immersed in hot water, it begins to degrade.
One plastic tea bag can release 11.6 billion microplastics and 3.1 billion nanoplastics into a single cup of tea, according to a study published in 2019. This is no doubt a serious health problem for tea consumers who prefer to have their daily cup of tea.
How Do You Make a Tea Bag Without Using Plastic?
Tea bag manufacturers must find a technique to prevent leakage. Bioplastic made from maize or corn starch is typically used in plastic-free tea bags. These bioplastics are just as effective as polypropylene.
Although GMO maize is not permitted in organic teabags, it is a source for bioplastic.
Here Is a List of Safe, Plastic-Free Tea Bag Options
Switching to plastic-free Tea Bags For Packaging is a great way to relax and enjoy your favourite beverage. However, the expensive price is cited by many tea makers as a reason they do not produce plastic-free tea bags.
As consumers have grown more aware of polyethene’s presence in their tea, however, more producers have begun making the transition. Here are a few options for plastic-free teabags.
Abel & Cole
You may find organic food and beverages under the Abel & Cole label. They use SoilOn, a corn-starch that contains biomass material (polylactic acid) from plants, to make teabags that are consistent with this philosophy.
The Tea Bags For Packaging from Abel & Cole are fully glue-free and biodegradable. Heat is used to create a tight bond between them. It also comes in environmentally friendly packaging made from paper and biodegradable polyethylene.
As a Runner-Up, Pg Tips
You can find plastic-free Tea Bags For Packaging in the form of PG Tips. In April of 2018, PG Tips made a statement on their website promising to switch to a new totally biodegradable, plant-based material for all of its pyramid bags. Over $1 billion has been made!
Yorkshire Tea
Yorkshire Tea now uses renewable plant-based materials for their tea bag seals. Since the year’s end of 2019, all of their Tea Bags For Packaging in the USA have been updated.
Clipper
Clipper recently declared success in creating the world’s first plastic-free tea bag, which was made entirely from plant-based ingredients. You can use these teabags as usual, and then toss them in the compost bin when you’re done drinking your tea.
Clipper claims on its website that their Custom Printed Tea Packaging are ‘unbleached, plastic-free, and non-GM’. All of the components of a tea bag, including the packaging, can be recycled.
Harney & Sons
Compostable and oxygen bleached without the use of epichlorohydrin, PET, or PLA, the paper Custom Printed Tea Packaging sold by Harney & Sons contain certified organic teas.
It’s a good solution for individuals who are worried about using tea bags that are free of plastic. Furthermore, the tea bag is secured with a knot in the string rather than glue or staples.
Qi Tea
All of Qi Tea’s teabags are paper and not plastic. Since veggie ink was used for the packaging, the teabag is safe for your compost bin.
Qi Tea’s envelope wrapper, which is made of plastic, is the only plastic component. The search for an alternate substrate for the wrapper continues.
A Better Way of Life Teas
This particular brand’s teabags are made from unbleached paper and are then given their distinctive form by means of organic cotton string that is stitched into the paper. TheCustom Printed Tea Packaging used by Higher Living Teas can be composted. All of the packaging boxes can be recycled.
PUSAka Herbs
Custom Printed Tea Packaging from PUSAka Herbs are made without the use of any plastic, and instead are kept together with 100% organic cotton, making them completely biodegradable. PUSAka brags that they were the first to utilise organic threads instead of staples or polypropylene to bind their teabags.
Teapigs
The maize starch used to make Teapigs’Custom Printed Tea Packaging is completely biodegradable, and the bags themselves will decompose in 12 weeks if thrown away with your regular food waste.
Natureflex, a novel material made from wood pulp, is used to make the inside plastic bags that serve to keep tea lovely and fresh. This revolutionary substance may be composted in any backyard bin without any problems.
Lipton
These plastic-free and biodegradable Lipton Quality Black and Intense Custom Printed Tea Packaging are made from Paper box printing company.
