With more and more households joining in the effort to cut back on landfill waste, it makes a lot of sense that so many people are turning to compost as an alternative to tossing their naturally degradable waste in the garbage bin.
Not only do you decrease your eco and carbon footprints when you choose to compost, but you also get to enjoy the end product of composting- humus.
If you’re a tea drinker, like many of us, you might be curious whether or not your favorite bagged tea blend is compostable.
For some brands, the answer is yes.
The majority of tea bag brands are not compostable, however.
So if you’re wondering whether or not Celestial Seasonings tea bags are compostable, the answer is yes!
Celestial Seasonings and a few of our other favorite tea brands currently offer compostable tea bags.
Many of these brands use not only compostable material for their tea bags but also offer little to zero landfill waste packaging as well.
Are Celestial Seasonings Tea Bags Compostable?
With over 100 unique tea blends and a passion for providing their customers with environmentally friendly options, it’s no surprise that Celestial Seasonings is a crowd favorite.
When surveyed, Celestial Seasonings commented that their tea bags are completely compostable and fully biodegradable.
This isn’t to say, however, that their product is entirely eco-friendly. While the Celestial Seasonings company has recently made great strides to improve the eco-friendliness of their product packaging and tea bags alike, they still have a ways to go before they can claim zero waste.
At this time, Celestial Seasonings is in the midst of replacing its packaging equipment to completely eliminate staples in its tea bags.
The company also commented that they are yet to find a suitable replacement material for the plastic, paper, and wax combo that currently keeps the tea fresh in its package.
They are, however, very much aware of the concerns regarding microplastics shedding in tea and claim to be open to using an alternative when a suitable one is designed and brought to fruition.
Are Twinings Tea Bags Compostable?
Twinings is also a favorite brand amongst many tea drinkers worldwide.
Unfortunately, the Twinings company tea bags are not compostable.
Twinings loose leaf tea is affordable, tasty, and offers a zero-waste alternative to their tea bags.
Are Lyons Tea Bags Compostable?
Lyons is yet another top choice brand amongst regular tea drinkers.
So, not only do Lyons tea bags have little adverse effect on the environment, but they are also making an effort to educate their community about the potential health risks of consuming microplastics.
Are Lipton Tea Bags Compostable?
Lipton produces two types of tea bags with different compositional elements.
The traditional pillow bags they use are TCF and unbleached hemp, which are compostable.
Their pyramid tea bags, however, are not as eco-friendly.
Lipton’s pyramid bags are polyethylene terephthalate, a non-compostable and non-biodegradable material.
Are Celestial Seasonings Tea Bags Recyclable?
As a general rule, items that may be considered compostable and biodegradable are not recyclable. Tea bags adhere to this generalization.
In other words, no Celestial Seasonings tea bags are not recyclable.
Nor is the packaging that they use to keep their product fresh and maintain its shelf life.
Because the packaging comprises compressed layers of three different materials that should be processed separately, Celestial Seasonings packaging would be considered a recycling contaminant.
Do Celestial Seasonings Tea Bags Contain Plastic?
While older sources of information may report that Celestial Seasonings tea bags contain plastic, this is no longer the case.
Like many environmentally responsible brands, Celestial Seasonings has undergone many changes in recent years to improve the environmental friendliness of its products.
The packaging used to maintain the shelf life of these tea bags is another story, however.
As mentioned before, these bags are plastic, wax, and paper.
Which Tea Bags Have No Plastic?
The majority of tea brands still use plastics in the production of their tea bags.
Not all do, however. More and more brands are getting involved in the effort to reduce landfill waste and microplastics in our water and food supply all of the time.
- Luzianne
- Red Diamond
- Bigelow Tea Company
- Celestial Seasonings
- Stash Tea or Universal Tea Company
- Salada
- PG Tips
- Lyons Tea
- Teekampagne
It is important to note that these results only regard the tea bags themselves, and they exclude packaging, foils, tags, strings, or staples.
However, the compostability of even just the tea bags themselves is a huge accomplishment for these companies.
Finding alternative production methods, materials, and storage options is far from being a cheap or easy feat.
These companies are listening to the concerns of consumers like you and me and doing their best to meet our demands to find healthier and more eco-friendly alternatives.
Is It Okay To Put Tea Bags In Compost?
The majority of sources of information on home composting tea bags are grossly outdated, and almost all claim that the answer to the question “is it okay to put tea bags in compost?” is a firm no.
However, times are changing, and so are production methods at a lot of companies.
Tea brands that have committed to keeping plastics out of their tea bags are changing how we can dispose of these items.
In the past, it was recommended that you dump the tea leaves themselves into your compost but put the bag in the garbage.
However, if you avoid tea bags with plastic components, you can compost your tea bags at home.
