Skip to content

Free shipping on orders over $50 in the USA! *not applicable to wholesale orders.

Plastic-Free Tea Bags

So here we are. . . 

Big Heart Tea Co. is on a mission to make healing herbs and teas more fun and more accessible.
We don’t take ourselves too seriously but we mean serious business.
We vet every step of our supply chain so that you’re not just getting the best tea in the world (according to us), you are getting the best tea for the world.

Our herbs and spices are 100% organic and our tea is sourced direct from small farms in Malawi, Japan, India and USA.

Our bags are made from a biodegradable woven mesh called Soilon. Soilon is derived from corn starch and can be composted completely. Soilon is a safe, non-toxic, environment-friendly material — perfect for filtering tea and herbal infusions.

Q&A

How is Soilon made?

Soilon is made of poly lactic acid (PLA) polymer resin, made by lactic fermentation of glucose (derived from corn starch) by an enzyme and polymerization. 

PLA, sounds like plastic. . . 

Unlike traditional petroleum-based plastics, PLA is a plastic substitute made from fermented plant starch, ours is made from non-GMO sugarcane.

How does Soilon decompose?

Soilon can be decomposed rapidly when it is put into heated composting system, and quite slowly when it is used in usual circumstances (so don’t litter, obvs). The degradation is initiated by temperature, moisture, and alkaline material, and can be completely, safely degraded by microorganisms.

How long does decomposition take?

According to this article in the Scientific American, PLA can break down into its constituent parts (carbon dioxide and water) within 3 months in a “controlled composting environment”  (an industrial composting facility, heated to 140°F and surrounded by plenty of digestive microbes). It will take far longer in a home compost bin, and hopefully won’t end up in a landfill packed so tightly that no light and little oxygen are available to assist in the process. Any organic matter in landfills is a huge waste, y’all, and releases methane. Indeed, analysts estimate that a PLA could take anywhere from 100 to 1,000 years to decompose in a landfill.

So, are your tea bags safe?

Our tea bags are 100% safe. They contain no hazardous substances to leech into your tea, such as endocrine disruptors (environmental hormones), and are naturally anti-fungal and antibacterial. 


Read more about the pros and cons of PLA here and here.

Meet the farmers' collection

A line of teas celebrating the farms we love. Each tea leaf was sourced directly from our friends at Assam Heritage, Satemwa Tea Farm, or Happy Mukoujimaen, wrapped and boxed up with all the love for you. Consider it a long distance hug from your fave tea babes.
Close (esc)

Popup

Use this popup to embed a mailing list sign up form. Alternatively use it as a simple call to action with a link to a product or a page.

Age verification

By clicking enter you are verifying that you are old enough to consume alcohol.

Search

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Also...tea goes great with cookies! Click here to see our Privacy Policy.
Accept
});