Sustainable snapshot

Recently on the Green Living in Casey Facebook page waste education officer Abbie Lane shared some interesting tips on tea. If you are on social media you can request to join the group that has a range of tips and ideas on how to be more 'green' in the City of Casey. Search 'Green Living in Casey'. 

Here is the article by Abbie Lane: 

Tea-bags and Tea-leaves can go into your rubbish bin, but if you're feeling a bit more eco and wanting to do something better, well, your tea-leaves can go into your home compost, throw them into your garden somewhere, or they can go into the food and garden waste bin.

Tea-bags, as they are, should go into your rubbish bin. WHY? Most Tea-bags contain plastics. Mostly microplastics. 

I have many people say to me they compost/worm farm their tea-bags and they break down completely. The trouble is, the bags are made from paper but also plastic - some bags are a hybrid material, some are paper with plastic in the crimp or seal of the bag. Either way, you're unlikely to be able to see the plastic left over after composting without a magnifying glass and knowing exactly what you're looking for. 

Your more eco options are:

• Keep buying the tea-bags, let them dry out after use, then empty the tea-leaves into your compost/garden or your food and garden waste bin, and the bag into the rubbish bin.

• Look for certified compostable tea-bags but note - these are often individually wrapped in little sealed bags that are made from plastic/paper/foil, so have a think about the extra waste this might generate.

• Buying tea-leaves rather than tea-bags, and using a tea-ball or similar to brew your tea, so that the leaves can just go directly to compost.

• Grow your tea - are there herbs/leaves you like in tea, that you could plant in your garden, and avoid all the hassle of teabags or even buying the processed tea in the first place? You can also GROW tea plants here (they're a type of camellia) and use them direct, but bear in mind, for something similar to what you would buy, there's a lot more effort than just plucking a leaf or two from the bush. 

Also, a common question related to this; "Why can't I put my certified compostable tea-bags into my food and garden waste bin?"

The vast majority of teabags contain plastics. Might be a tiny amount, but they contain it. So at the other end, the person sorting through the food and garden waste bin contents, looking for contamination, does not know that your tea-bags are compostable ones, they just see tea-bag, and given that most are not compostable, they will be removed. Also, the bag and the string may not break down in time either if they don't get spotted as contamination.

Interested in knowing where your waste goes?

Sign up and enjoy an interesting and entertaining day out, visiting waste-related sites in and around Casey, getting driven around and well fed! 

Booking links are below. This free catered bus tour will visit Valoriza, Stevenson’s Road Closed Landfill, Veolia (current landfill), and finish with a Recycle Right Session. 

Bookings are essential. Attendees must be aged 16+ to attend. 

Tuesday 27 May, 9.00 am – 4.30 pm Timbarra Community Hall, Timbarra Way, Berwick. https://events.humanitix.com/follow-your-waste-tour-city-of-casey-1

Thursday 21 August, 9.00 am – 4.30 pm Bunjil Place, Patrick Northeast Drive, Narre Warren https://events.humanitix.com/follow-your-waste-tour-2-city-of-casey 

Thursday 16 October, 9.00 am – 4.30 pm Bunjil Place, Patrick Northeast Drive, Narre Warren https://events.humanitix.com/follow-your-waste-tour-3-city-of-casey