TAKING PLASTIC OUT OF A CUPPA

NINETY-SIX per cent of teabags use a dab of plastic resin to stop them from falling apart.

this means putting used bags in your bin or compost contributes to plastic pollution. One dot of glue might not sound much, but if everyone in the UK uses two teabags a day (sealed with 0.1ml of glue), that’s 12,000kg of plastic.

tea pigs has been making biodegradable bags from cornstarch for 11 years and stitching them with thread. Co-founder Louise Cheadle says: ‘ some of our packaging decisions have cost us money but we feel this is well spent.’

Big names are beginning to catch on. Last year Co- op pledged to work with twinings on a mass market plastic-free teabag.