[Buddleja]

Hi all,
I've been sieving through the compost in one of the daleks in my garden and noticed that none of the teabags' bags had composted down. All the tea had, but the bags were still there looking like thin bits of cloth. Are they actually biodegradable?

[mumofstig]

some makes are, some not - as you've found out 

[Annen]

They usually don't survive being sieved, and if some do, they seem to rot down on the next go round of the compost heap. I have read that some people open them up and only compost the tea leaves, but I never bother.

[Beetroot queen]

Typhoo don't seem to break down. I just tend to pick out the bags when I find them once the compost is spread around

[Buddleja]

Thanks all, Next time I sieve I'll just stick them through again and see if there's fewer of them left after that.  This time I put them in the green wheelie bin that the council gives us for compost. Maybe the heat that their composter gets to will speed up the process 

[Lulu]

I used to compost my teabags but haven't done it for about 3 years and guess what - still finding them!!  I send mine to the council as well.  Not worth it.

[Coldfeet]

I must have too much time on my hands.  I split them and tip the leaves into my compost collector, and bin the bags.

[solway cropper]

Some of the bags are made of a plastic mesh. I stopped composting them a few years ago after getting fed up of raking them off the veg plot after I'd applied a mulch. Like Coldfeet I also have too much time on my hands and split them open to compost the leaves.

[devonbarmygardener]

My Jasmine earl grey and Ben's Yorkshire tea all break down well enough.

I used to buy a posh tea in a muslin-like bag - that never broke down - ended up emptying the teabag and throwing the bag in the bin!

I take the strings, staple and label off my EG teabags as they don't breakdown well

[Buddleja]

From reading all your experiences I was prompted to google 'what teabags are biodegradable' so that I could find a brand that wouldn't leave all those little bits of bag behind. I found this article from the Guardian, citing a report by Which? Gardening that says that most UK teabags contain about 20% of polypropylene.

Only Jacksons of Piccadilly, and Teapigs are polypropylene free - or were in 2010.

Here's the link if you're interested http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jul/02/teabags-biodegradeable

[devonbarmygardener]

Fancy that!
Do we need them to be 20% polypropelene!!?? Probably not!

[Auntiemogs]

My Jasmine earl grey and Ben's Yorkshire tea all break down well enough.

Excellent news DBG, we're addicted to Yorkshire tea so at least I know my sieveing will be easy enough.  I love Earl Grey and Jasmine tea, can you recommend a brand for the Jasmine Earl Grey, sounds interesting?

Mags 

[devonbarmygardener]

My Jasmine earl grey and Ben's Yorkshire tea all break down well enough.

Excellent news DBG, we're addicted to Yorkshire tea so at least I know my sieveing will be easy enough.  I love Earl Grey and Jasmine tea, can you recommend a brand for the Jasmine Earl Grey, sounds interesting?

Mags 

Well, I've never seen a teabag bag in my compost anyway!!

I buy the Twinnings one from the Floral range. Very subtle.

[Auntiemogs]

Fankoo hun.  I shall see if my local Tescies stocks them. 

[Growster...]

We don't bother with taking the bags apart, as it's all 'garden roughage' in the end..;0)