Co-op push to get the plastic out of teabags

TEABAGS with a plastic-free seal are to be made for the first time in a drive to save tons of waste.

Many tea drinkers are unaware that when it comes to plastic, even a daily cuppa is not safe.

Usually, a substance called polypropene is used to seal teabags so they do not split. However, this means they cannot be put in food recycling because they do not fully break down.

Now the Co-op is testing a new type of plastic-free teabag in partnership with its supplier Typhoo, and packaging firm Ahlstrom-Munksjo.

If the new design is successful and taken up across the industry, the change could save 150 tons of plastic being used in teabag manufacture.

The move is a victory for the

‘National psyche’

Mail’s campaign Turn The Tide On Plastic.

Some industry experts claim the move away from plastic will put up the price, however Co-op said customers will not have to pay more. It sells around 4.6million boxes of tea annually – around 367million teabags – and the change could save nine tons of plastic.

The new bio-degradable bag, which could be heat-sealed, will undergo testing in February and could be on shelves later this year. It will be used across the Co-op’s entire own-label standard tea range and will be fully compostable.

The Co-op’s Jo Whitfield said: ‘A cup of tea is part of our national psyche, so we felt it was imperative that we fix the problem as soon as possible.

‘We’re committed to reducing plastic in our packaging and want to ensure that tea lovers can enjoy a guilt-free brew.’