Teabags: Which brands contain plastic? - BBC

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Watch the BBC first on iPlayer 👉 bbc.in/iPlayer... The University of East Anglia has conducted tests on six of Britain's biggest tea brands in order to find out the amount of plastic included in their bags.
Each one of the teabags was placed in a copper ammonia solution for five days, which dissolved any material apart from plastic.
While the tests showed some bags degraded and broke down easily, others included significant amounts of non-biodegradable plastic.
Find out more: watch 'War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita' on BBC iPlayer.
War on Plastic with Hugh and Anita | BBC
#BBC #BBCWar on Plastic #BBCiPlayer
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Опубликовано:

23 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 281

@dougalportree603 4 года назад

Great journalism! Please do the test again in 2021 and call out any who are still using plastic.

@HarduntheRanger 4 года назад

Got to love all the companies immediately going 'ah feck we've been called out, time to switch'

@newriechren2343 4 года назад

"The UK drinks over 100 million mugs of tea everyday." Yep.. That sounds about right.

@newriechren2343 4 года назад

@@natalie19f.u..e0nyic3 How many Bots are going to reply to mein comment?!

@raymondnichols4564 4 года назад

Sometimes it feels like we drink that much at our house every morning.

@telectronix1368 4 года назад

You can't get work done without builder's tea.

@Dizzy_frog 4 года назад

I’ve had 4 today and who knows how many throughout the week.

@stephenbranley91 4 года назад

Each.

@judechauhan6715 4 года назад

This is the kind of impartial tea shaming that I don't mind from the BBC. Exposing bad practices which harm the environment isn't doctor who so carry on.

@raymondnichols4564 4 года назад

Would love to see this on house brands as well (Marks & Sparks, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, etc)

@bobsmith3291 2 года назад

They’re made in the same factories

@ashcoates25 4 года назад

End of 2020 means a little over 3 months. Let’s hope there a follow up in January.

@jamesx2703 3 года назад

They didn't switch yet :( disappointing

@Suman2_3 4 года назад

Nice to see that those tea companies replied saying they would switch to biodegradable tea bags :')

@frankiebluej6902 4 года назад

I am VERY happy about that part. I'm glad they were amenable to the issue and to changing the harmful parts of their product. Twinings has been my favorite for ever. Good for them (both the testers and the companies!)

@cindyharrington5958 4 года назад

@@frankiebluej6902 I'm glad too. Twinings Chai is my all time favorite.

@Suman2_3 4 года назад

@Be Your Self It might be because they were already working on it

@frankiebluej6902 4 года назад

@@SimonWoodburyForget Change is better than no change. Then we, the consumers, decide if new price is worth it or not.

@frankiebluej6902 4 года назад

@@SimonWoodburyForget That was my point. Change is a good thing and a small change is better than no change at all. However, we can change the environment for the better or change it for the worse. I prefer change for the better.

@sandraleishman878 4 года назад

Same test was done in Canada and found that red rose was plastic free and that is what I've been drinking since. This is quite interesting experiment.

@burgermind802 2 года назад

Red rose uses polylactic acid or pla a plant based thermoplastic polymer. sorry.

@Capgungoesbang 4 года назад

loose tea with a safe tea infuser/strainer is the way to go!

@Farimira 4 года назад

I sometimes forgo the strainer and just let the leaves clump at the bottom, less washing up haha

@NigelGentry 4 года назад

I always use loose leaf tea as well. I have a great tea making pot from Breville, which heats the water to the desired temperature of 100 degrees for black tea (80 degrees for green tea) and then lowers the basket of tea into the water for 3 minutes. Perfect cuppa every time and no hassle.

@dragnar12 3 года назад

@@Farimira For some tea this is the preferred method like dragon pearl tea

@sewgatormomm 4 года назад

Crap. I love Yorkshire tea, but no more until they fix this problem. This was very informative. I don’t want micro plastics in my body.

@CH-od8ni 4 года назад

Same here. I live in Germany and always try to buy Yorkshire Tea whenever I can find it. Not anymore. What a shame. I used to love it...

@owenparker6651 4 года назад

I would hope that a significant drop in sales for these three will force them to follow through. I know Brits are crazy for their tea, but drinking plastic multiple times a day every day can't be good...

@wich1 4 года назад

You’re not drinking plastic, the plastic is only in the bag, not in the tea. Furthermore, this is the same plastic that is used for thousands of food & drinks containers and is considered food safe. This is an environmental issue, not a health issue.

@owenparker6651 4 года назад

@@wich1 OK, that makes sense now that I think about it. I thought that ingestion of trace amounts of any sort of plastic would not be deemed preferable, but I am sure the amounts are too minuscule to matter. Taking hundreds of years to disintegrate is another matter entirely... Thanks for straightening me out without coming right out and calling me an idiot...

@azrielackerman4659 4 года назад

What a wholesome exchange. I agree as well, it's definitely an environmental issue. Lucky for me PG tips isn't plasticky, seeing as I do drink about 10 double-bagged mugs a day.

@winter2625 4 года назад

When heated (such as pouring boiling water over it) , plastic releases trace amounts of the toxic chemicals it’s made of. It’s totally unnecessary and not good for you or the planet.

@winter2625 4 года назад

Owen Parker You were not wrong! Drinking tea that’s had heated plastic soaking in it multiple times a day for years and years is not good for you.

@rediscoveringfood9643 4 года назад

Drink tea like Asians do. They use direct tea leaves or fermented tea bring it to boil. It neither requires tea bag. Great taste and good for environment.

@rediscoveringfood9643 4 года назад

@therealDale well if a minute is more important then the wellness of environment then you are right. 🤔

@purpleplant3842 4 года назад

I will start drinking more loose tea again, thanks for the reminder ❤

@hharveeyyy 4 года назад

Relove Creates they just need to stop using plastic, also who wants tea leaves in their tea?

@edith8349 4 года назад

I always drink loose tea. It taste a lot better than tea bag. Ahem, plastic tea bag. 🤢

@odorikakeru 4 года назад

I can definitely tell you that in Korea and here in Japan everyone uses tea bags, often nylon, usually double or triple wrapped, and no one thinks all that much about overusing plastic. I grew up in the England drinking loose leaf tea, and switched to using teabags when I left England because not doing so became too awkward, especially around other people.

@steelsheen 4 года назад

oh no 😱, Twinning is my fave brand. thank you for this report BBC 🍵 💝

@dux2508 4 года назад

🦠💁‍♀️

@natalie19f.u..e0nyic3 4 года назад

🔴❣🔴💜💚

@SpiralBreeze 4 года назад

Lately I’ve been ordering loose leaf tea, good thing, I love Twinings it’s a shame they use plastic.

@dieselsk8 4 года назад

I do the same thing here in Brazil.

@stephenbranley91 4 года назад

Decent loose leaf is wonderful, but I don't have time to warm the pot and let it brew properly in the morning!

@NigelGentry 4 года назад

@mccebu5121 4 года назад

I did not know this, very good information. I was wondering for sometime on how to get this tested as well as other products. I used to buy twinnings for my daughter.

@OdinOfficialEmcee 4 года назад

I'm sad about Twinings. That's been my brand of choice for near a decade and to find out they use plastic is so unfortunate

@dancingnature 3 года назад

Mine too and I live in the USA so they probably aren’t going to change to the biodegradable ones

@iwasglad122 4 года назад

Quite an eye-opener. I'm really pleased that PUKKA passed the test. I've consumed oceans of their tea over many years!

@user-ix1mi3ji6l 4 года назад

I did the same, but with Twinnings... Guess I'll switch to drinking tea leaves again

@RailRocketRicky 4 года назад

I felt quite sorry for Anita Rani when she learnt that her favourite brand Yorkshire Tea actually contained plastic! :(

@pajeetsingh 4 года назад

Never buying any of these except Clipper even if others fix their tea bags.

@lighttheoryllc4337 4 года назад

Assalamualaikum

@pajeetsingh 4 года назад

@@lighttheoryllc4337 Walekum Asslam.

@e-pearlm 4 года назад

I drink both Twinings and Tetley and now I'm sad :( I guess I'll go back to drinking natural tea leaves again

@frankiebluej6902 4 года назад

Though, Twinings and others said they would be plastic free by end of 2020.

@e-pearlm 4 года назад

@@frankiebluej6902 well lets hope they stay true to their word

@frankiebluej6902 4 года назад

@@e-pearlm That is ALWAYS a given. Unfortunately.

@stephenbranley91 4 года назад

Twinings, okay... but Tetley is just bloody awful!

@frankiebluej6902 4 года назад

@@stephenbranley91 Fully agree there. A box sat in our cupboard for years because I refused to drink it. water was better. ick. However, we all do have differing taste buds.

@maureendavidson4635 4 года назад

It was only a couple of weeks ago that I found an internet article saying that teabags were made from a specially bred plant fibre that looks like paper. Obviously not ALL teabags. That same article said that the glue on the seams was partly plastic.

@larsulrich2761 3 года назад

It's time to do follow up testing to see if Yorkshire & Twinning took out the plastic.

@jacquelineparks1333 4 года назад

That gave me chills! Not only horrible for the environment, but I'm ingesting that! Thanks for the info.

@Account-ql3mc 4 года назад

This was such an eye opener i’m so happy i’ve seen this. I LOVE yorkshire tea but i’ll only look for the plastic free brands now.

@teacherags3901 3 года назад

Yes! please do the test again in 2021. I found out about the plastic scaffolding in my wormery in 2019 when I "harvested" the soil my worms made from my kitchen scraps. So I wrote an email to Tetley and asked about it and they wrote back telling me that it was plastic and they were working on changing their teabag make up. Sooooo happy to hear they are going back to just paper.

@shafishafique6412 4 года назад

Charge these companies 5p each bag...lol

@stephenbranley91 4 года назад

The fact Clipper is plastic-free is why I switched to them ages ago. Plus they make a decent cuppa. Never understood the hype with Yorkshire, and Tetley just tastes like the sweepings off the floor.

@RoyalSnowbird 4 года назад

The WORSE thing here (which is NOT explained) is that some of these plastics can break down into millions of very tiny parts when you make a tea cup to drink and you can ingest this and this may have an impact on human health! This public information bit has served us all well! (I am in Canada and am a tea lover too!)

@BBailey-g4m 4 года назад

Caught red handed! But does it not make you wonder what else they are hiding and what the long term damage, if any, of drinking liquids since birth through a plastic sieve! This video actually blew my mind and made me very, very angry. For years they knew the bags contained plastic but if they were not outed, I bet they would have kept quiet. Prime example, we don’t really know what we are putting into our bodies. It’s no wonder cancer is on the increase!

@theaudioman4446 3 года назад

Disgraceful that they need to be pushed to stop this, just shows you what companies will do if left unchecked! How much other crap goes on without the public knowing, I shudder to think!

@Foralluhaterz 4 года назад

I'll stick with PG tips like always that doesnt let you down

@LisaLGruman 4 года назад

Good investigative reporting with excellent results. Way to go, and thanks for sharing this and handling this for the health of so many!

@raphaelnikolaus0486 3 года назад

End of January 2021 - will you do a follow-up test with Yorkshire, Tetley's and Twinings (and maybe some other big brands, too)?

@robertskolimowski7049 8 месяцев назад

Good reporting, however, I'd be much more interested to know how much mould the tea leaves in those teabags consist of, or maybe even heavy metals.

@ronholfly 4 года назад

I think they put a dye in them as well which makes the tea instantly strong because way back before tea bags when you made a cuppa you had to wait while the tea brewed, but now as soon as the boiling water hits that tea bag it's instantly brewed.

@crazygreenlady7907 3 года назад

That's not dye, it's because they now chop the leaves so small because people are impatient and want tea to brew instantly. Open a teabag and the contents now look like sweeping from the factory floor.

@armystay428 4 года назад

I wish these videos had subtitles in English in order to learn English through these delightful videos

@armystay428 4 года назад

@T Doran i'll have to do it you are right even if I'd like to live in the uk

@iamkcchan 4 года назад

How about Fortnum & Mason?

@TheSabinewalkden 4 года назад

I love Yorkshire tea and am horrified. Unfortunately I have a couple of large boxes in stock. I shall try and get loose tea next time I shop.

@SeijuroRen 9 месяцев назад

Its 2023, any updates?

@QuinchGaming 4 года назад

Happily changing brands now...until the other manufacturers update their packaging.

@ssj9871 4 года назад

Why don't the BBC talk about the impacts of disposable masks on the environment.

@containedhurricane 4 года назад

So I've been drinking millions of polypropylene particles? We need to sue those tea companies

@samanthahardy9903 8 месяцев назад

They should also test the supermarket own brand tea bags, not just the brand names.

@Phoenixeire 4 года назад

It was only a couple of weeks ago that I noticed a box of teabags had 'Biodegradable' splashed across it, like it was a USP. Aren't they all? I thought to myself. Way to hype a conventional model! Unlike coffee, my palate is not very discriminatory when it comes to tea, so I normally go budget end. Looks like I'm heading for a change. I dread to think how much teabag plastic is floating around out there, and I contributed to it. No more.

@louisimisson9065 4 года назад

Wow, the video wont load, but I looked through the comments and saw someone mourning Yorkshire tea - please, someone - tell me its not true.

@louisimisson9065 4 года назад

Okay so: the video loaded, I watched it and was shocked. Yorkshire has graced my mug everyday for the last five years, so naturally I felt the urge to confirm this for myself. Having just dissected a bag of the good stuff, I see no plastic film whatsoever - not inside nor out, and not inbetween. I want to find it, if it is there because its poisoning me. But I totally dont see it. Is it possible that different production sites dont use plastic? Is it possible that Taylor's has already fixed the problem? Is it possible that the plastic is not a film, or is in a form I cant see or notice? Im rather troubled by the idea that our fine tea is tainted, and that its producers are intentionally poisoning us while we make them their billions. This is all sad news to me, because tea is a great joy in my life and I dont want to leave it behind

@beverleylevy843 4 года назад

You won't see it. That's the whole point of the experiment. The outer is dissolved away first.

@louisimisson9065 4 года назад

Beverley Levy To be clear Bev, I dissected a teabag myself at home, and saw no plastic - I didnt use any chemicals I just looked for plastic while I ripped up the bag. I was thinking along the lines of 'if its there, I'd find it' but didn't find anything but paper and leaves.

@willvanmoss6664 4 года назад

This is why I changed to loose leaf and just bought a nice little tea infuser. Works like a charm!

@clarissagafoor5222 4 года назад

I usually buy Marks and Spencer's tea bags. Wonder if there's any plastic in those?

@mehedi4857 4 года назад

Yes, there is as cheaper quality bags are used!

@Shungabali 4 года назад

I guess I have to switch back to loose leaf tea...which by the way tastes great but is a bit messy and non practical compared to tea bags

@jolive3743 3 года назад

they are still using Plastic in their Packs containing over 240 bags

@laylajohnson5329 4 года назад

Gutted! I love Yorkshire Tea as well 😞 However will not buy again unless they uphold their commitment of stopping. Makes me wonder how long plastic has been used in tea bags. I bet when I was a kid they didn’t. All these sneaky behaviours are so worth outing so thank you so much BBC for this report. More please!!

@GoodBoy-rf7tp 2 года назад

Great reporting. Please do an update!

@parulakter7514 4 года назад

Happy me... Almost always use pg

@jamespisano1164 4 года назад

Wow! Never would Havre guessed there was plastic. I also would not want plastic in my mug with hot water; doesn't plastic leach or break down a bit when heated? Is there an easy way for a person without a lab to test their bags at home?

@beverleylevy843 4 года назад

Yes put it in a compost bin cover with grass cutting. Leave a few weeks. Then see what's happening to you tea bag. After a year, mine were still intact which is how I new their was something dodgy going on. Took ages to rip the bags open so I don't put them in anymore.

@jamespisano1164 4 года назад

@@beverleylevy843 Thanks!

@decodolly1535 4 года назад

I generally use loose leaf tea and, if I have to use bags, PG Tips are my go-to brand so I was feeling quite smug. But my emergency back-up bags have always been Twinings. That's going to need a rethink!

@annaphillips7149 3 года назад

I switched from Yorkshire and Twinings to Clipper Tea after seeing this and can report that it is fabulous tea! No regrets and I won't be switching back.

@kkz201 4 года назад

thanks for highlighting an industry secret

@davidmathews2124 3 года назад

The solution for the consumer is SO easy! Just get a little infuser thing and use loose leaf tea. It’s less expensive, you get to measure the amount of tea you use yourself and the used tea leaves decompose quickly. It’s all good.

@tescoprimark1299 4 года назад

Never bought them... and definitely avoiding those with plastic in it.

@markcundiff3992 4 года назад

I'm glad my number one brand for over 35 years (PG Tips) passed the test, but now I'm curious about my backup choice (Typhoo).

@purpleplant3842 4 года назад

Wow unexpected results! Germany, please do this too

@edith8349 4 года назад

Well, you will have to wait for that at least 10 years. More like 20.

@timelord153 4 года назад

Very informative 👍

@stefing2845 2 года назад

Please do a follow up lab test. Maybe also other newer brands. Thx

@heer_s 3 года назад

Can anyone advise the solution used, and what temperature and proportions, I am trying to recreate the test at home. Please?

@jolive3743 3 года назад

i've been in contact with them as i've been putting them in my Compost for years but got fobbed off.

@shiningstar4753 4 года назад

I am not very fond of tea but I do drink one or two cups of Tetley tea twice or even thrice a week. It's indeed scary to learn that they use PLASTIC in their tea bags! Shame on them to keep their consumers in dark about the DARK reality of their tea bags. Thank you BBC for shining light on these cockroaches!!

@pinkpork9255 4 года назад

I am shocked as I ve been putting my tea bags in food compost bin all these years. I guess loose leaf tea is the option going forward.

@jd-py5nm 4 года назад

I love tetley and buy them because I thought they used less material and no plastic what a shame glad they will do so by end of the year though. Best thing to do is use loose leaf tea and jars

@prvg7851 Год назад

We need an update! No music please

@MrMaxKeane 10 месяцев назад

Would love to see a follow up!

@teddybeast4992 3 года назад

When will get an update on this matter - have they all yet switched to biodegradable materials yet - but anyways, thank you for this educational video

@richdyer2000 4 года назад

5h1t - i just bought 2*1040 Yorkshire tea bags. Hopefully the last with plastic.

@reaverman 4 года назад

Hence the reason why I have bought a micromessh strainer and only use loose leaf tea!

@moiragoddard592 4 года назад

Being compostable would be better than biodegradable.

@renzomoyoli3122 2 года назад

is there any update on this one? :)

@TENEBRAELGAMING 4 года назад

1:50 Basically everyone watching this lol

@maureendavidson4635 4 года назад

Are there plans to test the bags used for all the green teas and herbal teas, there are so many now. Even if the beeb don't take part, the YT channel would broadcast the results.

@Galatians.3.26-29 4 года назад

Buy an tea infuser. No paper nor plastic bag required to brew your own tea.

@_Everyone__ 4 года назад

Well done, good job !!

@Ghengiskhansmum 5 месяцев назад

Yorkshire tea is moving from plastic to another plastic and insinuate it's a sustainable and friendly plastic. It's hogwash and insulting.

@user-us6ce7me8k 4 года назад

Wow.. I had no idea some of them contained plastic 😮😮

@arslanalibhatti8120 4 года назад

idea?

@BILLZAL 3 года назад

Im drinking tea while watching this

@shelleysanders9666 4 года назад

Safest thing, surely, is to drink loose-leaved tea? Even if tea-bags don't have a plastic seal, the bag is bleached (save for British "Clipper" tea)

@millomweb 4 года назад

What about supermarket 'Everyday' own brand tea bags ?

@jaxonburt3670 2 дня назад

Okay I get the environment part, but what about our bodies and the plastics getting in? Use something better for our bodies.

@voiletwhitehorse 4 года назад

Goes back to 80s ,loose tea the old teapot and strainer

@judechauhan6715 4 года назад

0:06 tea

@theresa9908 4 года назад

Does anyone know the name of the artist/song that is playing in the background? Got no result when I shazamed it.

@1life2xplore 4 года назад

Informative Video!👌👍

@janetmyburgh7814 4 года назад

Thank goodness I thought was going crazy tea in in south africa is also not the same anymore....as I also drink a lot of tea a day ......please let me know what's going on thankyou...Janet

@bruza1980 4 года назад

Eff tea. Coffee all the way.

@Scourge1990 Год назад

PG-Tips stopped in 2022

@mzzaidi 4 года назад

Horrified being a cancer patient and drinking Yorkshire for a decade

@paulgray1318 4 года назад

BIGGER ISSUE are some smokers which ignorantly think that their butts are biodegradable and made of paper, when the filter is actually plastic. Can't say I've seen teabags littering ever - coffee cups on the other hand. Hmmm.

@jamesx2703 3 года назад

If PG tips have managed how haven't the others? I really like Yorkshire tea but I geuss ill have to switch if I want to compost my tea :( Edit: Disappointing they all said by the end of 2020 yet Tetley still use plastic and Yorkshire Tea are saying by June 2021

@danielaguirre955 4 года назад

Lol and it only took a show to expose these tea monsters and even got a reply saying that they will change to biodegradable come January.

@peteregan3862 4 года назад

Of course, real tea does not come in a tea bag. Generally, it comes in a cellophane pack inside a box. Cellophane is made from cellulose. One should decant the loose leaf tea in a tea tin with tight seal. Real tea sinks after it is mixed with water and stirred. Teabag tea contains lots of tea dust which appears not to sink if loose in the water.

@VivalaryMan 4 года назад

This is headline news BBC!

@tombowen8091 2 года назад

it don't matter , its a bag , not to be drunk , tell us what "everything else" is , and will it dissolve in hot water ?

@gwal93 4 года назад

Shock horror !!! I had no idea that those Twinnings Assam tea bags I throw away each day (x2) would last for thousands of years in a land fill and that putting them in my composter would not result in great compost, just soggy plastic bags (unless I cut each bag open and only dispose of the contents into the composter, fiddly). My PG Tips decaff though should be ok. What to do ? Change brands I guess. Come on Twinnings, can't be that difficult to switch to bio-degradable tea bags ?