For decades, teabag manufacturers have used a plastic, called polypropylene, to heat seal the bags in order to prevent the contents from spilling out in the box or once hot water has been poured over them.
Tesco is to introduce plant-based tea bags which will allow shoppers to compost their used tea bags rather than throwing them into the bin to head to landfill.
And to overcome any further recycling confusion, Tesco’s newly designed packets of tea will be clearly labelled with information on the correct way to compost the tea bags in the food waste caddy.
The new labelling will state: “We now make our tea bags out of plant-based material. Once used put your tea bag into your food waste bin. Our tea bags biodegrade into compost.”
This move follows a YouGov survey commissioned by Tesco which revealed that shoppers are split on what to do with their used tea bags with millions being disposed of incorrectly.
With some tea bags being compostable and others not, shoppers are confused about which bin to put them in.
Nearly half the people polled in the survey (43 per cent) say they put used tea bags in with their general waste.
A further six per cent put them in their recycling bins; while 24 per cent put them in a food waste caddy and 12 per cent put them in the home compost.
Tea bags are frequently discarded in the wrong way, with only 30 per cent of adults knowing that they contain plastic.
Tesco Packaging Manager Adele Kearns said: “This is a huge move that will help clear up the confusion for millions of people on how to dispose of their tea bags once used.
“We hope that making all of our tea bags compostable with clear labelling helps our customers correctly do their bit for the environment.”
