Householders urged to put ripped up teabags in garden this summer

Daily Record

23-07-2025

Tea bags can be repurposed to benefit plants and flowers.
In Britain, around 100 million cups of tea are drunk every day. For every brew made, comes a used tea bag. The majority of householders will typically throw out the used bag, however, experts are now urging householders to put them to good use. Instead of tossing it away, people should rip the bag open and scatter the contents in their gardens compost to help plants thrive.
‌
The common item can be repurposed to benefit plants and flowers, helping to reduce waste.
‌
Composting is a hugely beneficial thing to do for your garden all year round. It's an ideal way to turn your kitchen scraps like potato peel, carrot off-cuts and banana peel into rich, nutritious compost that will boost your plants.
‌
You can start a compost pile anywhere in your garden with a simple plastic bin, although more expensive and more sophisticated options are available, including wooden composters, multi-opening 'hot bins' and various other elegant solutions. On a budget, though, a simple plastic box or an old bin with a lid will do if you just add some air-holes for the plant bacteria to use to break down.
But people adding teabags into their compost have been told you must tear open the bags first and pour the raw tea leaves in directly, reports the Express.
‌
Many supermarket brands use this in their teabags, which means they will never break down in your compost, leaving a plastic residue behind which will also contaminate your compost with leached plastic chemicals.
Even plant-based teabags, such as those used by Yorkshire Tea, should be cut open, and the bag disposed of separately, not in the compost bin.
Yorkshire Tea says: "PLA tea bags are sometimes called 'plastic free', but we've never used that label and WRAP, the people behind the UK Plastics Pact, also advise against it because plant-based plastics are still plastics.
‌
"You can snip open your used tea bags, compost the tea inside at home, and put the bag itself in your refuse bin. If you don't want to do that, the alternative is to put your tea bag in your refuse bin."
Consumer advice magazine Which? explains: "Tea bags have traditionally been sealed with a plastic called polypropylene, which enables their edges to be heat sealed and stop them falling apart in hot water. Small amounts were used, but it prevented them being composted and, due to the enormous amount of tea bags used in the UK, it generated a large amount of plastic waste.
"The advice from the UK Tea & Infusions Association is to rip open the bags before placing the used tea leaves on your compost heap and dispose of the teabag paper separately in your bin where it will go into landfill."
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in!
If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'.
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.