Plastic-free teabags

A guide to plastic-free teabags.

A cuppa without plastic.

Try a reusable tea bag.

The other option is to switch to loose leaf tea.

For many, a cuppa brewed with a tea bag is part of their daily ritual and in many countries the teabag reigns supreme.

The first use of the teabag dates back to over 100 years ago, when a New York tea merchant sent out samples of tea packed into silk bags. People assumed that the bags were to be used in the same way as metal infusers, and placed the entire bag into the pot to brew the tea. It was then that the convenience of the teabag was born.

The old tea bags were all made from natural fibres and could completely biodegrade but now in our world of fast paced convenience - many are made and sealed with plastic. So how do we know which tea bags can go in the compost and which should go to landfill? The answer is unfortunately not as simple as you might think.

It seems each tea company has a different kind of tea bag paper. Some are made from a blend of manilla hemp, cellulose and thermoplastic fibres, some companies refer to the plastic element in their bags as synthetic fibres and some companies proudly state their bags are made from abacá plant with no plastic in them at all.

We recommend compostable bags without plastic fibres so we've done a bit of research to find out which popular brands contain plastic and which don't!

If you're wanting to go zero waste and still use a tea bag, you can try out a reusable one!

These tea swags all natural and reusable. You just fill them up with premium loose leaf tea or herbs from your garden, steep it in hot water as you would a normal teabag, then when you're done, empty the contents into the compost, rinse the tea swag and hang it out to dry!

The one thing all us tea companies do seem to agree on is that loose leaf tea in a teapot makes a superior tasting tea. Our loose leaf teas comes in a simple, plastic-free, cardboard tube that can be upcycled. Our premium loose-leaf tea is also packaged in a 100% biodegradable pack made of a material called Natureflex - read more about our sustainability practices.

So whether you're a teabag lover or a loose leaf die hard, do your best to find plastic-free options if you can and if your favourite brand is still using plastic, let them know you'd love them to change their ways or must easier - switch over to NEMI Teas!