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Dried Tea Bags

harmonyharmony Posts: 370
Are dried tea bags (emptied or not ) useful as plant food for the garden?..

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  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 52,214
    I put mine in the compost bin. They don't really have nay nutritional value though.

    There's some debate about bags having a plastic content, so many people are worried about doing it too.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,391
    Same here @Fairygirl - since we found out some had plastic content, I tear them open over the heap and put the bags in the black bin (although that may just mean the plastic content gets buried somewhere else.. :|)
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • PurpleRosePurpleRose Posts: 538
    Used tea bags go in my compost bin. I empty the tea leaves out of the bag as I have been told it takes a while for the bags to break down.

    I think most of my compost bin is made up with tea leaves as I drink gallons of it 🤣🤣
  • berardeberarde Posts: 140
    They compost well, but the tea pig brand do not compost,so they must be plasticky. I doubt the standerd papery ones have plastic and i don't see any remnant in the compost
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 52,214
    Mine too @PurpleRose ;)

    What's 'pig brand' @berarde?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • berardeberarde Posts: 140
    https://www.teapigs.co.uk/. My wife likes their teas, but as not widely available we don't get them often. I've just done a search on their site and they do say the bags aren't plastic but don't compost
    In short – please don’t compost them at home, as your home compost won't provide the right level of heat, pressure and micro-organisms for them to break down. So instead, pop them in with your food waste. Most councils have industrial food waste systems designed to allow the necessary micro-organisms needed to break down biodegradable materials, to thrive. If you send your tea temples to your local council with your food waste, they will break them down within 12 weeks. If you don’t currently have a food waste collection – it’s time to put pressure on your local council to get one!

    I've copied and pasted so as to set the record straight
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 52,214
    I might take a look at those @berarde. Thanks.
    I'm quite fussy about my tea though - it has to be a decent strength  ;)
    A lot of companies are aware of the plastic issue with bags though, so we may see a lot more suitable compostable ones. It's very difficult though - if the bags aren't strong enough, they break down in the mug.
    I think many are switching to loose tea as well. I really need to do that, if I'm honest
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Mary370Mary370 Posts: 2,003
    Barry's tea bags break down fully........lovely cup of tea, the red box lol
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    I use biodegradeable teabags which I buy online from Traidcraft.  I used to chuck them in just as they were, but when I used the compost I found they were still intact.  So now I tear the bag before dropping them in the food waste bin in the kitchen.  Once they go in the compost bin, they disappear without trace.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 52,214
    Doesn't Barry mind you nicking his tea @Mary370:D

    Hope you're keeping well x
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
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