Over recent years, there’s been more and more focus on microplastics in our environment, as well as in our food and beverages. A study in 2019 estimated that the average American is estimated to consume between 39 000 and 52 000 particles of microplastic (MP) annually, depending on age and sex. Given that Australians are exposed to similar food products, it’s likely microplastic levels in Australians are similar.
Tea hasn’t escaped the microplastics controversy, and many people have growing concern about the use of these plastics in teabags.
Tea drinking is a practice many of us enjoy multiple times a day, so the potential for microplastics from teabags entering our systems is concerning. If you have three cups of tea per day from a teabag, you’re ingesting over 1000 cups of tea per year, so if microplastics are leaching from every plastic teabag you use, that’s a lot of plastic entering your body every year! And we don’t, at this stage, fully understand the potential impacts of these plastics on our health, so it’s wise to avoid them.
Let’s have a look at why there are plastics in teabags in the first place, why plastic in teabags aren’t great for our health, and how you can find plastic-free teabags and other tea drinking alternatives so that you avoid doing yourself harm when enjoying that daily cuppa.
Why are there plastics in teabags?
Firstly, we must mention that not all teabags contain plastic, however commonly, a lot of teabags are made from plastics, or have plastic sealants. These plastics contain a range of chemicals that are likely detrimental to human health. In addition, given that some of the plastic particles released from teabags when immersed in hot water are very small, they can enter into our fatty tissues, and if small enough, even enter our bloodstream. This all sounds pretty bad, so why are plastics in our teabags at all?
There are a few reasons why teabag manufacturers use plastic.
They give the teabag structure: Those old paper teabags of yesteryear not only smelled of bleach, but were prone to falling apart during a brew, leaving you with stray, floating tea leaves. Plastic (usually, polypropylene) helps to seal the edges of teabags which ensures they’re less likely to fall apart in your teacup. Also, some plastic teabags can hold a particular shape well, which can be visually appealing. For example, the pyramid-shaped teabags you find in fancy tea boxes are often made from nylon.
Improved infusion: Plastic is versatile, and can be made in many different ways to suit consumer needs. So, PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and food-grade nylon have been developed to allow a better flow of water through the teabag, hence better infusion. Despite this, they may be leaving microplastics behind in that infusion.
They’re heat resistant: Some plastics withstand hot temperatures, however, this is not to say they should be heated. In fact, heating plastics may result in microplastics ending up in the water, and then, in your body when you drink it.
They’re cheap to manufacture: Plastic teabags are cheaper to mass produce than the plant-based alternatives.
Reasons to avoid plastic tea bags:
There are a range of reasons why plastics should be avoided in teabags.
Plastic teabags don’t biodegrade: Many of us like to compost our teabags, but if your teabag is plastic, or even has a plastic seal or tag, it won’t be biodegradable. Not only will the worms in your compost reject these bags, but the plastic particles they’re made from will degrade and end up in your soil, meaning now your soil is contaminated with microplastics,
Risk of microplastic build up: There’s growing concern about the impacts of microplastics on human health. Microplastics (MPs) from teabags are suspected to stay in the body’s fatty tissues and continually release toxic chemicals over time. Studies suggest that MPs may contribute to a range of health issues, including gut inflammation, malabsorption, oxidative stress and oxidative stress. All these issues have the potential to disrupt the immune system and lead to long-term health issues like endocrine disorders and cancer.
Heat accelerates microplastic release: Of particular concern with plastic teabags is the fact that the plastic is heated to a high temperature. Whilst some of the plastics in their original form may not release a large number of microplastics, when heated to boiling point, microplastic release increases, and microplastic exposure is elevated.
Alternatives to plastic teabags
When seeking out plastic-free teabags, the picture can be murky. For a start, a teabag may be made using a cellulose-based material like abacá (Manilla hemp), however it may still be sealed with a synthetic thermoplastic or with polypropylene. This means, though the bag itself isn’t plastic, there will still be plastic on that teabag that may result in microplastics in your cup of tea, as even thermoplastics may not be designed to withstand the heat required to brew a decent cuppa.
If you can find a brand of tea that uses both a plastic-free teabag as well as a plant-derived substance to seal the bag, then you should be eliminating the microplastics from the picture completely.
Unless specifically stated on a tea brand’s website, you might need to ask what they use to seal their bags. Polylactic acid (PLA), derived from corn or other natural sources is a popular option, however when it comes to composting that teabag, it may require specific conditions to fully break down. If you want to avoid this issue, folded paper bags or stitched tea bags are a better option, if you can find them.
How to avoid plastic in teabags
Whilst we should be concerned about the effects of microplastics on our health, there’s no reason why we need to stop enjoying cups of tea! There are a few ways to continue drinking tea, without consuming plastic.
Seek out plastic free tea bags: As we mentioned above, there are tea brands that stock teabags made from plant-based materials rather than from synthetic plastics. (Tea Tonic’s plastic free teabags in Australia are made from a blend of Manila hemp, cellulose, and heat-seal fibres.)
Drink loose leaf tea instead: With loose leaf tea, there’s no teabag involved at all, so you don’t need to worry about microplastics, provided you use a metal or ceramic infuser.
You can get a really good flavour from infusing loose leaf tea, as there’s more space for the hot water to reach individual tea leaves in an infuser than in a teabag.
There’s also something lovely about the ritual of brewing a cup or pot of loose-leaf tea. Whilst it takes slightly more effort than throwing a teabag into a cup, brewing loose leaf tea can be a satisfying experience!
Plastic free teabags Australia - Tea Tonic
At Tea Tonic, our plastic free teabags are unbleached, compostable, and biodegradable (they meet the EN 13432 standard for certified bioplastics, naturally breaking down in 10 weeks). They also are certified with a 4-star OK Biobased rating, which indicates the highest use of renewable materials. Add to that, they’re staple-free, which means you don’t need to worry about metals in your compost. Finally, to ensure freshness, we wrap our teabags in aluminium foil to ensure they retain freshness.
Tea Tonic teabags may not appear on every list of plastic free teabags in Australia, however rest assured that our teabags are plastic free and compostable!
Loose Leaf Tea
Tea Tonic stocks a wide range of delicious organic loose leaf teas, including classics like Earl Grey, Green Tea, Peppermint and English Breakfast. We also have created some satisfying tea combinations, like Turmeric, Beetroot & Ginger Tea, GLEW (Ginger, Lemongrass, Echinacea, White Tea) Tea, and Warm Spicy Tea.
Tea Pots and Infusers
You’ll need the right tools to brew loose leaf tea, and thankfully, we have plenty of teapots and tea infusers to help you brew. For solo tea drinking, this Tea Mug For 1, featuring cup, infuser, drip tray, tea tin and loose leaf tea. For sharing, our Square Glass Tea Pot comes with an inbuilt infuser, making it perfect for loose-leaf brews!