Waitrose has launched certified own-brand home compostable tea bags to prevent 4.5 million tea bags from going to landfill or incineration.
The upmarket retailer’s Duchy tea bags are now accredited with a TUV OK compost HOME certification so that shoppers can place them directly into a home compost bin or heap once used.
As a result, the compost can then be used to enrich gardon soil to add a nitrogen-rich component which is beneficial to plants.
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The tea bag tags have also been amended to reduce ink coverage, ensuring they can break down more effectively.
“The reali-tea is that our customers want to make whatever changes they can to ensure they’re shopping, eating and drinking more sustainably,” Waitrose packaging development manager, Christina Capellaro said.
“By securing accreditation for products such as our Duchy home compostable tea bags, we’re reassuring our customers that by making these little changes to their shopping habits, they can reduce their impact on the environment.”
This follows on from Asda’s move in October to make its own-brand tea bag packaging plant-based as it looked to make the 550 million it sells each year disposable via kerbside food waste bins.
Earlier this month, Tesco also announced it would be launching plant-based tea bags, compostable through kerbside food waste collections.
