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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.

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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

Flea and Tick medication is so toxic to your fur b Flea and Tick medication is so toxic to your fur baby! But fleas and ticks are also horrible for them as well…so what option is there??

I like to use Wondercide on my dog in flea and tick season. Wondercide is low tox and is safe for your pup and you!

The only downside to Wondercide in my opinion is you have to be DILIGENT about applying it. 

My routine for Miss Cammie this summer is the flea and tick collar every time we go outside, the spray once a day, and the spot on after every bath.

Have you ever thought about natural flea and tick prevention?? Let me know! ⬇️

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#dogmom #naturaldogproducts #nontoxicdogproducts #wondercide #fleaandtickprevention #lowtoxdogproducts #healthypet #healthypets #healthydogsarehappydogs #lowtoxliving #lowtoxfamily #lowtoxlife #lowtoxlifestyle
I can literally make multiple meals with these 5 f I can literally make multiple meals with these 5 foods! They’re always great to have on hand when I don’t know what to eat.

For example, I’ll make a smoothie with the frozen fruits and veggies with some eggs for breakfast.

I have oatmeal as a bedtime snack with frozen blueberries.

I can make rice, a salad, and a few eggs for dinner.

What do you always have in your kitchen??

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#healthyfood #healthykitchen #mealprep #healthymealprep #nutritioncoach #healthcoachlife #kitchenstaples #pantrystaples #eatwellbewell #eatwellfeelwell #fillingfoods #healthyeatinghabits #nutritiontips #healthydiets #healthandwellnesstips #healthandwellnessjourney #healthandwellnesscoach
I’ve seen so many toxin free people tell others I’ve seen so many toxin free people tell others to look out for ethoxylated ingredients but no one ever says exactly what ingredients people should be looking out for!

Here is a list of common ethoxylated ingredients I’ve seen on ingredient labels for cosmetics. This is not every single ethoxylated ingredient, but these ones are super common.

Swipe to the last slide for a list of companies that do not use these ingredients in their products! 

Save this list for later!

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#ethoxylatedingredients #toxicingredients #avoid #ingredientlabels #toxinfree #toxinfreeliving #lowtox #lowtoxliving #lowtoxmakeup #lowtoxlife #cleanmakeup #crunchi #100percentpure #zuzuluxe #hancosmetics #toxinfreemakeup #toxinfreeskincare
Women use makeup everyday and use so many differen Women use makeup everyday and use so many different products. Unfortunately, most makeup does contain hormone disrupting chemicals 😩 

While switching your makeup won’t get rid of ALL your hormone issues on its own, it’s an important step to take to help regulate and balance your hormones.

Most hormone disrupting chemicals mimic estrogen. Too much estrogen can cause…
-mood swings 
-heavy periods
-period cramps
-migraines
-weight issues 
& more

My FAVORITE makeup brand that does not contain any hormone disrupting chemicals is Crunchi Cosmetics! There are other brands that are clean too…there is absolutely no reason to use toxic makeup products anymore!

If you want to make the switch to makeup that won’t mess up your hormones, DM me for a link for $10 OFF clean makeup! 

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#hormonehealth #hormonebalance #hormonesupport #hormoneimbalance #womenshealth #womenshormones #estrogendominance #balancehormones #hormonalacne #hormonebalancing #cleanmakeup #lowtoxmakeup #nontoxicmakeup #toxinfreemakeup #makeupandhormones #healthcoachtips #healthylivingjourney #healthylivingtips #healthymakeup #beautytips #greenbeauty #cleanbeauty #cleanbeautyrevolution #beautyproducts #crunchi #crunchimakeup #crunchicosmetics #crunchicollection
Is this time change effecting anyone else horribly Is this time change effecting anyone else horribly this week?? My sleep schedule is so thrown off! 

I’m realizing more than ever how important it is to get the day started right! My morning routine really sets the tone for the rest of my day! 

It effects my mood, my energy, and even how I feel about myself!

If you need a better morning routine, try incorporating some of these healthy morning habits into your routine! 

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#morningroutine #morninghabits #morningperson #startthedayright #healthyhabits #healthymornings #healthcoach #healthandwellnessjourney #healthandwellnesstips #wellnesstips #healthylivingjourney #healthylivingmovement
It’s always a good day for tea at The Greenbrier It’s always a good day for tea at The Greenbrier! 🍵💕 

I obviously couldn’t miss tea time since I clearly have a tea addiction. And of course I had to show up in some new sustainable fashion!

If you’ve seen my stories recently, I’m done and I mean DONE with fast fashion. Check out my fashion highlight for more deets, but in a nutshell, fast fashion is full of toxic chemicals, plastics, unethical workplaces for workers, and soooo much waste!

I have vowed to myself to stop buying fast fashion and only purchase new items from sustainable, ethical, plastic free companies OR purchase second hand items to cut down on waste.

The dress I’m wearing was originally $218 and I found it new with tags Thredup for $20! 

Let me know where you like to find sustainable clothing! ⬇️

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#sustainable #sustainablefashion #sustainableclothing #thredup #sailtosable #thegreenbrier #thegreenbrierresort #teatime #teatime🍵 #secondhandfashion #secondhandclothes #secondhandfirst #sustainablestyle #ecofriendlyliving #ecofriendlyclothing
Clothing has a huge impact on the environment and Clothing has a huge impact on the environment and our health! I am officially done buying fast fashion clothing. There are other ethical, environmentally friendly, and toxin free clothing options!

Swipe through for more info! Also, these are obviously not the only organic and sustainable companies out there 😅 Just a good place to start on your ethical, eco-friendly clothing journey! 

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#toxinfreeclothing #sustainableclothingbrands #ecofriendlyclothing #fastfashionsucks #fastfashion #fastfashiondetox #fastfashionkills #ethicalclothing #thredup #poshmark #swapclothing #secondhandclothing #toxinfreelifestyle #lowtoxliving #lowtoxlife #2023fashion #fashionfacts #organicfashion
I literally eat this breakfast EVERYDAY! I did a I literally eat this breakfast EVERYDAY!

I did a whole other reel on lemon water, so check out my page to see why it’s so good for you!

My green smoothie is loaded with fruits and veggies so I get a great dose of vitamins, fiber, and healthy fats!

Eggs are PACKED with nutritional value! They’ve got protein, healthy fats, B12, iron, and more! They help you stay full and give you energy. 

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#healthybreakfast #healthybreakfastideas #nutritioncoach #whatieat #greensmoothies #healthysmoothie #goodfood #healthydietfood #healthyfoodreel #healthyfood #foodismedicine #healthylifestyle #healthylifehappylife #healthylifestyletips #healthyeatingtips #breakfastideas #holistichealth #holistichealthcoach #holisticnutrition #holisticliving
I keep seeing Seint all over social media so I wan I keep seeing Seint all over social media so I wanted to do some digging on their products!

I love the idea of an all in one compact that you can customize to your preferences.

In my opinion, convenience isn’t worth it if the ingredients are toxic! 

Seint uses multiple petroleum based ingredients which can cause c**cer.

Their products also contain phenoxyethanol which is a combination of corrosive phenol with c**cerous ethylene oxide, talc which is usually contaminated with asbestos, and lake dyes which can also lead to c**cer. 

They also don’t do third party testing for heavy metals which means their products could be contaminated with dangerous heavy metals like arsenic and lead! 

There are much better cosmetics options out there that don’t put your health at risk! Personally, I LOVE Crunchi cosmetics. Crunchi uses ecofriendly packaging, ecocert minerals, and their formulas are completely toxin free! 

Shop my favorite toxin free products at the link in my bio 🛍

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#seintmakeup #toxinfreebeauty #toxinfreemakeup #toxicmakeup #crunchi #cleanbeauty #cleanmakeup #greenbeauty #greenmakeup #ecofriendly #lowtoxmakeup #lowtoxliving #lowtoxlifestyle #toxinfreelife #thebestmakeup
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