Tea and Compost

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, predicting another 6 weeks of winter.

While I sit and stew about the cold and ice outside of my window, it’s nice to put on the tea kettle and prepare a cup of hot tea that I can sip comfortably inside my house. After I’ve finished my cup, and maybe re-steeped my tea bag for a second, I have to decide whether the used bag should go in my kitchen scrap collector. Despite the calm that tea may help bring through these winter days, tea bags can be a bit controversial in the compost world. In one corner, tea bags may be made of compostable fibers that will break down in compost, and the tea leaves themselves are a shoe in. In the other corner, many big box tea brands use tea bags that contain plastics- which I don’t want in my compost because they will not break down. And it doesn’t help that tea companies don’t always make it easy to tell which bags are compostable and which bags have plastics. So what now?

If you don’t want to put tea bags in your compost, one option is to cut the bag open and compost only the tea leaves. Additionally, tea and coffee make great soil additives on their own, so they can be added directly to soil- just be aware of what plants they are near to confirm if the benefits are compatible. It’s not the perfect solution, but it keeps you from having to throw away something that you could otherwise use.

If you do want to compost your tea bags, my recommendation is to ensure that you’ve removed any of the non-organics that you can see; this means the staples that hold the tag at the end of your tea bag, or sometimes the string used for steeping, or the tag if it is plastic-based. A good rule of thumb when looking at the tea bag itself, if it appears shiny and has a triangle shape, it’s probably not good for your compost.

My most preferred option is to use loose-leaf tea and avoid tea bags altogether. There are many ways to purchase tea leaves in bulk, and- as a bonus- I can often use my own reusable containers to fill up at a local tea shop. Steeping loose-leaf tea allows the leaves to go directly in your compost bin, no questions asked.

Ultimately, it’s up to you what to do with your tea bag. Your backyard compost does not have to be a perfect science, and you can try different options and find out what works best for you and your soil. Keep in mind, if you use a food scrap-drop, your local service provider may have guidance on whether or not they will accept tea bags in collection, so please check with them on their policy! Not a tea drinker, but go through a lot of coffee? Read our blog on composting coffee here!

Compost Blogger: Sam Goubeaux