☕ What’s the deal with plastic in tea bags?

Most tea bags (especially pyramid-shaped or “silky” ones) are made using a type of plastic such as:

• Polypropylene – added to paper tea bags to seal them shut
• PET or nylon – used in “silken” or mesh pyramid bags

These plastics:

• Don’t fully biodegrade
• Can leach microplastics into your tea — especially at boiling temperatures

🔬 What the research says:

A 2019 study from McGill University (Canada) found that:

A single plastic teabag steeped at brewing temperature can release over 11 billion microplastic particles into a single cup of tea.

Those particles are invisible to the eye, but you’re drinking them.

🧃Why is plastic used?

Manufacturers add a small amount of plastic (usually polypropylene) to the paper so it:

• Doesn’t fall apart in hot water
• Can be heat-sealed during production

But this comes at the cost of contaminating both your body and the environment.

✅ Healthier Alternatives:

1. Loose leaf tea with a stainless steel or bamboo infuser
2. Brands that use plastic-free tea bags, like:
   
• Pukka
• Clipper (UK)
• Tea Pigs
• Yogi Tea (some varieties)
• PG Tips (now biodegradable in UK)
3. 
   
4. Look for:
   
• “Plastic-free”
• “Biodegradable”
• “Compostable” on packaging
5. 
   

🌍 Environmental concern:

• Tea bags with plastic can’t go in compost.
• They contribute to microplastic pollution in soil and water systems.