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6 ways to reuse old teabags and tea leaves

Reduce your household waste. - by Laura Barry
  • 20 Sep 2019
6 ways to reuse old teabags and tea leaves

Recent research has found that 50% of Australians drink at least one cup of tea per week, while those aged over 65 drink around 11 cups of tea per week.

Now, if everyone is tossing their once-used tea bags and leaves in the bin after every cuppa, then that’s a whole lot of household waste being produced by the humble cup of tea. With that in mind, we’ve pulled together a list of ways you can reuse old teabags and tea leaves. However, be sure to determine if your teabags are compostable or not before going ahead with these ideas. If the bags aren’t compostable, you’ll have to remove the leaves from the bags before trying these suggestions out.

1. Compost your tea bags

If your teabags are compostable, pop them straight onto the compost pile. If not, empty the leaves from the bags and spread those on your compost instead. Tea adds the nitrogen-rich component to the compost that will balance carbon-rich materials.

2. Bury your used teabags or leaves at the base of your plants

The use of tea for plant growth will nourish the root system, aid in moisture retention and can suppress weed growth.

3. Soak your feet with tea

Infused hot water with old teabags and soak your feet in the liquid. It can reduce foot odour, soften touch skin and reduce aches or pains.

dried tea bags
Getty

4. Fix puffy eyes

Rinse and refrigerate used teabags and pop them on your eyes to reduce puffiness. Green or chamomile tea is particularly great for reducing inflammation.

5. Get rid of bad smells

Dry out your teabags or tea leaves and pop them in an open container, then sit the container where the odour is worst. This can work in stinky freezers or stinky shoes (just leaves the teabags in the shoes overnight), or even in your cat’s litterbox.

6. Tenderize meat

Steep old black teabags until a strong tea is created, then pour over meat just before cooking to tenderize. The tannins in the tea will soften it.

You might also like:

6 reasons why you should be brewing loose leaf tea 

Is cacao husk tea the new superfood?

Want to know how to turn old tea into a scrub? Watch the video below. 

Laura Barry
Laura Barry
Laura Barry is a writer, bookworm and interior design enthusiast with a love for reporting on all things homes, travel and lifestyle. When not tapping away at her keyboard, Laura can be found making endless cups of tea or perusing the shelves of Sydney’s many bookstores.

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