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Simply Sarena

Simply Sarena

Home | Toxin Free | Do Your Tea Bags Contain Microplastics? Plastic Free Tea Bags and Tea Bags That Contain Plastic

Do Your Tea Bags Contain Microplastics? Plastic Free Tea Bags and Tea Bags That Contain Plastic

Healthy Eating, Healthy Lifestyle, Toxin Free

I am an AVID tea drinker! I drink tea for every occasion, every ailment, literally all the time! Tea is touted as a healthy drink and tea companies boast of all the health benefits!

Surprisingly, there are quite a few toxins to watch out for in tea. You not only have to look out for the pesticides and added flavorings, but you also have to watch out for the PLASTIC in tea bags!

I’ll save pesticides and added chemicals in tea for another post. In this post, I just want to talk about plastic in tea bags!

In this post, I’ll cover…

Is the plastic in tea bags safe?

How can you tell if a tea bag is plastic?

Which tea bags do not contain plastic?

What materials are replacing plastic tea bags?

Types of tea bags that contain plastic. Pyramid shaped nylon tea bags, tear apart tea bags, tea bags with a fused string.

Is The Plastic In Tea Bags Safe?

Short answer, NO!

Most tea bags contain polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or nylon to make the bags more durable. Polypropylene or PET is also how the tear apart bags are sealed and how the string is attached in some cases. 

All kinds of plastic release toxic hormone disrupting chemicals and since tea bags are steeped in hot water, one tea bag releases billions of microplastics and nanoplastics into your cup.

Not only do plastic tea bags have a detrimental effect on our health, but they’re also detrimental to the environment! Plastic in tea bags is NOT biodegradable, so the plastic just accumulates. 

How Can You Tell If A Tea Bag Is Plastic?

There are some tell tale signs that a tea bag contains plastic. 

If the tea bag is round or square without a string and has crimped edges, it contains plastic. They melt the plastic in the tea bags to crimp the edges and seal in the tea leaves. 

If the tea bag has a string attached by fusing it into the tea bag (instead of a staple or a hole), it contains plastic. 

If the tea bag looks/feels silky (I’m talking about those tea bags that look super fancy and expensive), it is made of nylon!

Some companies add plastic to their tea bags to make them more durable, so even if your tea bag does not have any of the above characteristics, it’s possible it still contains plastic. Your best bet to find out 100% your tea bag does not contain plastic is to reach out directly to the brand. 

What materials are replacing plastic tea bags?

There are multiple ingredients that can replace plastic tea bags. The ingredients I’ve seen the most are Manila Hemp, Wood Pulp, and Organic Cotton!

PLA is another ingredient in some tea bags however, I’m not sold on this one. PLA stands for Polylactic Acid. From the research I’ve done, they don’t seem as biodegradable as other materials and it’s possible they are harmful to the soil. 

They also release lactic acid which isn’t necessarily bad, it can just be difficult to digest for some people. More research should be done on the safety of this ingredient in tea bags. 

I’ve also seen “plant based material” with no other specifications. (Teatuila is one of the brands that uses “plant based material”.) PLA is considered a “plant based material.” Unless they further specify, I take “plant based material” as PLA which I would avoid personally.

***We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and other affiliated sites. Please see this blog’s Disclosure for more information.

Which Tea Bags Do Not Contain Plastic?

The brands I am aware of that do not contain plastic are…

  • Yogi: Manila Hemp tea bags
  • Traditional Medicinals: Wood Pulp and Manila Hemp
  • Numi: Manila Hemp
  • Pukka: Organic Cotton

There are definitely more brands, these are the brands I have tried and they are available at Wegmans (my favorite grocery store.)

Which Tea Bags Contain Plastic?

WAY too many brands are still using plastic in their tea bags. A few common brands are…

Celestial Seasonings: Polypropylene

English Tea Shop: Nylon (Pyramid Bags), PLA (paper bags)

Tazo: Hemp and trace amounts of plastic

Lipton: I reached out to Lipton via Instagram and email because they don’t explicitly state the material on their website. In their response, they let me know they use “a small percentage of plastic” and “some pyramin tea bags made from PET.” They also said, “Where we do use plastic, we are actively working toward moving out of petroleum-based to plant-based plastics.”

Brand I’m Not Sure About

Republic Of Tea: Their website lists “unbleached tea paper” as the material for their bags however the edges are fused together. My guess was they contain PLA, but I reached out to them via Instagram and email. They responded with “Our tea bags are heat sealed.” They also said “Our unbleached tea bags are made from wood pulp fibers, which do not contain epichlorohydrin or plastic. Our teabags also have no unnecessary strings, tags, or staples and are free from chemicals, toxins, and do not contain gluten, GMO’s or corn.”

I did more research on heat sealable paper tea bags and they all seem to have something synthetic in them to make them sealable as paper on it’s own does not melt. The wood pulp fiber heat sealable materials I’ve found all contain either PLA or polypropylene. So I reached out again about the heat sealing and they responded with, “We use an all natural heat seal that binds the fibers of the wood pulp together creating a seal made without glue or chemicals.”

Take this information for what it is and make your best judgement. In my opinion, this sounds like PLA to me as PLA is touted as “plant based” so I’m not 100% convinced on this one. (I do not know for certain if they use PLA, this is just a speculation.)

Brand I Have Hope For

Buddha Tea: Their website lists “unbleached tea paper” as the material for their bags however the edges are fused together. I reached out to them via email and their response was, “Our tea bags are made from the cellulose fibers of the abaca plant (closely related to bananas)…Unfortunately, we do include trace amounts of plastic in order to seal the edges of our tea bags. Our team is currently working to make an eco-friendlier alternative this year.”

I’ll keep you posted once they do make a new teabag! In my opinion, I think it is great news to hear a brand is working on a better option! It’s much better than paying for marketing to trick customers into thinking their product is safe when they are using toxins in it.

If you want to avoid tea bags all together, a great option is organic loose leaf tea! Like I always say though, you HAVE TO check the ingredient label and make sure nothing extra is added to it (like flavorings and sweeteners.)

What’s your favorite brand of plastic free tea? Let me know in the comments!

January 19, 2023 · Leave a Comment

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HI EVERYONE!

I’m Sarena


I’m a Northern Virginia based Integrative Nutrition Coach, a Toxin Free Lifestyle enthusiast, a dancer, and a dog mom to my sweet girl, Miss Cammie.

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simply.sarena

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Everything we do has an impact on our health and h Everything we do has an impact on our health and hormones! Check out my newest blog post for easy swaps you can make to help support your hormones.

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People (and doctors) love to blame “genetics” People (and doctors) love to blame “genetics” for their health issues.

Is genetics really to blame though?? Less than 10% of c**cer is actually caused by genetics. Type 2 diabetes is diet related.

So are genes to blame? Or are the habits and lifestyle choices passed down a MUCH BIGGER issue than genetics?

I’d say the latter is true. If you grew up with your parents/grandparents using Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce, that’s probably what you’ll buy too. If you grew up with a bunch of Kelloggs and General Mills snacks in the pantry, you’ll probably walk those same grocery isles. If you grew up in a house “freshened” with Febreze, glade plug ins, and yankee candles, you’ll probably do the same. If your parents cleaned with Lysol and used Downey scent boosters in the laundry, there’s a good chance those are the cleaning products you’ll buy.

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Fontana sent me their *NEW* Pure Vanilla candle to Fontana sent me their *NEW* Pure Vanilla candle to try! 

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Summer is almost here and you know what that means Summer is almost here and you know what that means!! Tailgates, barbecues, potlucks, picnics!

All of these activities usually include lots of dressings, sauces, and other condiments…

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❌ High Fructose Corn Syrup
❌ Canola Oil or Soybean Oil
❌ Preservatives like Sodium Benzoate 
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These condiments from Wegmans are much cleaner options that your name brand condiments. A few of the cleaner options do have xanthan gum, organic smoke flavor, and organic spices on the ingredient label however, they are still much better choices than the name brand junk.

I love that Wegmans has dressings and Mayo made with avocado oil and the rest of their condiments are pretty affordable too! 

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I strive for toxin free, but there are still some I strive for toxin free, but there are still some things I can’t give up 🙈 

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I am a woman…a woman is an adult human female. I I am a woman…a woman is an adult human female. I am not a “cis woman”, do not call me that…just get rid of that term please! 

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But do not bully these people, do not spread hate towards them. Treat them how you would want to be treated. Love them, give them real support, not affirming support but real love and support to help them address the root of why they believe this about themselves. We do not need more hate in this world. 

Could this behavior be trauma that hasn’t been addressed? Likely. Could it be their bodies are so overloaded with estrogen mimicking chemicals that have altered their hormonal responses? Likely too. Could it be trendy and they want to fit in with a certain group? Probably. 

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It’s sad that people are being fooled and misled. But God doesn’t make mistakes. No one was born in the wrong body. And if you’re feeling unfulfilled in life, maybe you need God to fulfill you in a way nothing on this earth can. 

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