can i compost tea bags | Crazy About Compost

“Can I Compost This?” Series #4: Tea Bags?

Lately I've been having a lot of fun with contacting companies that I like (and don't like) and asking them how compostable their product is. The results have usually been pretty entertaining. I don't drink a lot of tea, but when I do, it's ginger Yogi Tea. They definitely carry a good rep, and they didn't disappoint here. I sent them an email asking about their tea bags... What are they made of? Are they compostable? It appears that tea bags normally are, but as of late have been moving over to nylon bags due to higher strength...not compostable. In fact, I wonder if I really want to be dipping nylon in near-boiling water. While heating and burning aren't the same thing, burning nylon is definitely toxic. Not trying to…

“Can I Compost This?” Series #1: Juices and Drinks

I've decided to start a new short and sweet series dealing with the question "Can I compost ___?" So here we go: "Hey Tyler, can I compost coffee/fruit juices/tea?" Yep. All of the above are great candidates. I'd say I dump more coffee waste than anything, and it's also the best of the above to add. High in nitrogen and also friendly due to its ground-up size, it degrades quickly (for the worms, they're all about the coffee grinds as well. Juices...not as much. Tea/tea bags, absolutely). As for tea, it is preferable to empty the contents out of the teabag...unless the tea markets itself as having a compostable teabag. Apparently, most are polyester (not the ones I drink!). There's an interesting article about that found HERE. Lastly, juices. I'd…