Plastic tea bags

The first time I saw a bag like that, I was shocked as well. Seems like just the worst idea to use plastic to create tea bags. Turns out it is and they weren't made out of plastic. It's a starch based fiber that is biodegradable. I don't think you could have plastic tea bags here in the EU in any case. I'd wager yours isn't plastic either. Yeah, so you probably got mildly infuriated over nothing, just like I did the first time I saw one of these 🤷

https://youtu.be/limwsUnH4iQ?feature=shared
Regular teabags are sometimes made using non-biodegradable plastic - be sure to buy those made with this starch based plastic. When I first saw biodegradable teabags I was surprised, I thought teabags were made of paper. Not so, it turns out.
- Here is an alternative Piped link(s):
  https://piped.video/limwsUnH4iQ?feature=shared
  Piped is a privacy-respecting open-source alternative frontend to YouTube.
  I'm open-source; check me out at GitHub.
- that was interesting, thanks!
there's still a decent chance it's only industrially biodegradable: at higher temperatures and pressures than a good ol' home compost pile normally ever gets near. It could still be a bit infuriating.
- It's dope having municipal compost pickup, guys.
- This is almost always the case. If it's biodegradable at room temperature and pressure, it'll be degrading once you get it.
  We're probably best off converting most of our things into industrially biodegradable products, and then having our waste go to composting plants instead of landfills.
I can't really find a source for it, but I remember the EU banning plastic in tea bags quite recently, a few years ago at most. Here in the Netherlands, a lot of tea bags contain(ed) plastic as some kind of sealant.
Also, a lot of tea contains sugar, for no good reason whatsoever.
- Also, a lot of tea contains sugar
  In the form of fruit or added? If it's the latter, they will have messed up something as simple as tea even further. When they started packaging them in airtight plastic (preventing one from smelling what you are considering to buy) and wrap every single tea bag in plastic, I already got mad.
I’m glad they stopped using metal staples on them too. That always bugged me.

Plastic tea bags are really disappointing. It's not enough that plastic is everywhere thanks to tire dust, I have to drink it, too? Cool.

At home, I use loose leaf and a metal strainer. Makes less waste, and there's no plastic.

I have to drink it, too?
If it makes you feel any better, there's so much microplastic everywhere that there was going to be plastic in that water regardless of what the tea bag was made of.
- And there's not even really anything you can do about it. Reverse osmosis should be able to get rid of microplastics but the fucking containers for the filters are plastic and the lines running between them are plastic so they're just going to reintroduce microplastics even after filtering!
  There was a recent study showing that boiling water could actually break down and remove a surprising number of microplastics so I guess for making tea you might be a little better off but still
I just got into tea and have had a rough time finding a brand to buy that is loose leaf. They always end up being tea bags like this. Any suggestions for brands?
- Loose tea isn’t very common on supermarket shelves. If you live near a store that has a bulk section, then they might have loose tea in bulk. I end up ordering online from Stash or Harney & Sons
- You should probably try looking for local tea shops. They tend to just import the tea directly from distributors or even producers and bag it themselves. This might not be the cheapest option but easily the highest quality one.
  If none are available nearby, hey, business opportunity!
- Celestial Seasonings and PG tips are good grocery store brands with paper bags, but for loose leaf it's worth seeing if you have a local tea shop. If there's nowhere nearby, there's some great online sellers. I'm a fan of Adagio and David's tea.
- Order online! TenRen Teas has the best tea, imo, while Adagio has mid to high quality at a decent price and a wide variety of types and flavors.
- If you've got an Asian grocery store near you they'll most likely have loose leaf. I got into pu'er tea this way and it's fantastic!
- I've actually had good luck at a local Indian market. Also, places that are specifically tea retailers or online markets will be more likely to have it.
- My local coffee roaster also sells loose leaf teas from a local company, and their tea is excellent. I grab some tea when I refill on coffee.
- Just search loose tea leaves in your mother tongue and you'll find some. Ordering online might be interesting as well these days
Tire dust? Tires are generaly made from a kind of rubber, not plastic. A great majority of micro plastics that end up in enviroment and in your body are shed from plastic fabrics. If you're really worried about limiting plastic consumption check your clothing tags for polyester and nylon. Return to cotton, hemp, and linen.
- Synthetic rubber like SBR: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styrene-butadiene
  Tires and brakes are a major source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-17201-9
- Tyres are unfortunately plastics in this day and age as well.
  As for the share of microplastic pollution, both rank about equally as high: 35% for clothes, 28% for tyres (https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20181116STO19217/microplastics-sources-effects-and-solutions) - this as a share of directly released particles that make it into the ocean.
  Note the interesting fact of fishing nets, plastic bags and bottles making up the vast majority of plastic in the ocean, however.
- Tires are generaly made from a kind of rubber, not plastic
  Both are made of polymers.
  Rubber, also known as latex, is naturally occurring polymer from the sap of a specific species of tree.
  "Synthetic rubber", is in fact, plastic.
  Po-TAY-to, po-TAH-to

Are we sure thats not the commonly used silk tea bag? Why do we think this is plastic?

They are from polylactid and decompose without a trace and without microplastic. Paper tea bags on the other hand often contain around 20% polypropylene and cause microplastic.
- Despite claims to the contrary, PLA does usually break down into microplastics. It's possible that under certain conditions (such as those found in industrial composters) those microplastics might be broken down into starches and consumed by bacteria, but most teabags will just end up in landfill and won't break down beyond microplastics.
Arghh, two conflicting replies. What do we do?!!
- Eat Taco Bell and see who shits themselves first.
Silk is expensive. Almost all pyramidal tea bags are nylon and/or polyester (at least in the US). Only premium stuff is going to be made of silk and they'll advertise it as such

God I hate those. Paper tea bags you can toss into the fireplace or in the compost depending on the time of year, but those plastic ones you can't do anything but chuck them into the trash.

Paper tea bags usually contain polypropylene or another plastic so they can be heat sealed shut. They aren’t fully compostable.
- Certainly in the UK, there has been a real push for fully compostible teabags. Clipper Tea and PG are fully compostable. Yorkshire Tea was not, last time I looked - which is why I stopped drinking it.
- They make disposable tea bags made of the same paper as coffee filters
- Buy loose tea and tea bags.
  Test tea bags by burning them. No residue? They should be free of plastics.
- Though I bought relatively large paper-based filters before that explicitly said they were fully compostable. And since loose tea beats bagged tea 90% of the time anyways...
- Well shit. I guess I'm gonna have a lot of micro plastics in my compost then.
Yeah, except those are actually from polylactid and decompose completely without microplastic. Paper tea bags on the other hand are often mixed with polypropylene and ironically contain microplastic and don't decompose completely. The best way is a tea strainer anyway
- Are you sure those aren't nylon bags? Anyway I've found PLA's biodegradability highly over rated. When Sunchips were doing those PLA bags I threw one into a worm bin, when I emptied the bin a year later it looked pretty much unchanged.
But it's cheaper and more convenient! Why'd you care about the future, you a commie? /s

Is that even tea? It looks like broccoli and carrots.

It's not plastic

I just use a reusable filter for loose tea. Oxo makes a nice one.

Yup, tea cakes with a reusable metal filter. Each cake is wrapped in paper, not plastic. Then you just use a metal mesh filter.
- How much tea does one of those cakes make or do you break them up beforehand?

Micro plastic stew

Almost all teabags contain plastic. They're heat sealed. Remember, if you're old enough, they used to be stapled closed?

Yep capitalism is awesome.

Some still are. Bigelow I think.
But loose leaf tea is much better quality anyway and avoids the issue of what's in the bag entirely. They also have ceramic filters so you can completely avoid having plastic in contact with hot water
- Yeah although a lot of it comes excessively packaged too.
  I need to find a food coop that isn't overtaken by bougie morons with their activated biodynamic dolphin certified almonds and fulfils the original purpose of bulk bargaining by disempowered proles.
Staples have glue holding them in a cartridge ugh.... I'd rather have heat sealed nylon(more durable) tea bags
- I'd rather just buy loose leaf and use a washable strainer. It's generally less expensive and higher quality too.

Laughs in loose leaf

Loose leaf club!
signature look of superiority
- I can give you one more that can make me seem either a lot superior or a lot inferior in the tea snob world.
  Loose leaf
  Collected and fermented by myself
  But it's not from the tea plant, it's herbal tea

Some brands now use plant or cellulose derived material for their tea bags. Though they still use plastic for the outer wrappers, which is a bit annoying.

now
Now?! That used to be the default until some hipster companies started fucking shit up with their shitty plastic pyramid bags.
Yes, I was rather annoyed that the last Earl Grey and green tea bags I bought were individually wrapped in cellophane. I live in a food desert, so doubly annoying since I traveled a significant distance for them.

Do worry, there is micro plastic in the tea and in the water

Also in your blood, brain, tissue, children, pets, ...
- PFAS, PFAS for everyone!

Isn't it cheaper to buy loose tea and use a tea ball? Does that avoid this entire problem?

I bought a giant bag of lapsang souchon and usually just use my french press. I also bought like a hundred empty paper tea pouches that have alson been good for making spiced apple juice
- So there is another one who brew in a french press!
My supplier also ships the looseleaf in bags that are supposedly back yard compostable. Lots of options for loose leaf, better tea maybe, too.
In general, yes. Also it would be better for the environment, even if you want to avoid washing the ball up and use tea filters
What’s a tea ball
- There are many designs: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=tea+ball&iax=shopping&ia=shopping
- I'd answer but i'd have to nsfw it.

I drink tea from similar bags and they look the same but they are actually biodegradable SOILON bags, maybe this one is too?

Is it actually biodegradable or this """"biodegradable """"" crap, that technically does break down, but takes 400 years under specific conditions to do so?
- It's PLA derived from cornstarch, breaks down in two years.

How do you know it's plastic? I doubt that it is. Fabric can be made airproof by wetting it. That's how you can use your pants as a life vest too.

These are extremely common tea bags found all over the world that are well known to be made of plastic.
- These also look like the ones rishi uses which they claim is silk
- polylactid to be precise which is completely decomposable. paper tea bags on the other hand are often printed on a fine mesh of polypropylene which causes microplastic.
brb, going to try to use my pants as a lifevest
- Here's how to do it.
- They used to make us learn this in Basic Training for the Navy. It looked absolutely ridiculous and I loved it.

I was in a supermarket recently, and looked at the tea selection (I usually buy it at a more specialized place). There were almost no options without bags; quite disappointing.

That's what some hotels offer for their "Tea making facilities". We bring tea bags from home which are prefectly recyclable, even better since they don't use a metal clip anymore, but use stiching to connect the thread to the tea bag and the label.

Why don't you just drink water? Soda is extremely high in sugar. You might as well eat sugar with a spoon all day

Challenge accepted.

Of course it's healthier. Did you put 40 sugar cubes in your cup of tea? Probably not.

The secret aroma is the melted microplastics

Are you impressed by the shape? Does it make you feel upper middle class that your tea bags are this shape? Poor people don't drink tea made with bags of this shape! It's fancy! Now drink your microplastics!

Sometimes I forget that people on Lemmy have trouble parsing brutally obvious sarcasm/low level satire.