Select Your Tea Bags Carefully

Not all tea bags are alike. Sure those pyramid bags may look cool and do provide ample room for tea leaves to expand, but even though they may be labeled as "silk", they are often made from plastic, which is non-biodegradable. Potential health effects aside, these tea bags will not biodegrade, and can be a source of pollution if not properly disposed. I was reminded of this the other day, when I was spreading compost and discovered this bag below. I frequently put teabags in the compost bin. As you can see, the  bag is perfectly intact and would probably remain that way for years.

This is in stark contrast to cotton underwear, which when buried in healthy soil will decompose within a couple of months. See Canada's "Soil Your Undies" campaign.





I haven't buried a pair of underwear in my garden, but in addition to evaluating the health of your soil, this campaign is a reminder that when buying anything you should know how it will be managed at the end of its life. And, when buying tea, choose biodegradable bags, or better yet, make loose leaf tea. It is healthier, tastes better and is better for the environment.

Here is a sampling of the many types of tea infusers on the market