What to do with used loose tea leaves
6 Easy Ways to Recycle Used Tea Leaves – Mansa Tea
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PrevNextWhen it comes to sustainability, I have to admit. I am not at the forefront.
Don’t get me wrong. I still care about the environment and do what most of us do.
I use the back of my scrap papers, recycle bottles and plastics, and reuse my Amazon boxes to collect other cardboard boxes for recycling. And I don’t use tea bag as I prefer loose leaf teas.
But I can certainly do more.
Recently, I felt especially bad when I noticed the sheer volume of used tea leaves that are tossed into the trash.
And NYC doesn’t make it easy for us to compost. Not all buildings in NYC have compost bins as it is a voluntary program.
Since I can’t reduce my tea consumption, I decided to research, experiment and put together the 6 easy ways to recycle used tea leaves.
Note that I did not include re-brewing tea leaves in different ways as a way to “recycle tea leaves” as I plan to talk about brewing methods as a separate topic.
Rather, this guide focuses on what to do with spent tea leaves once they have no flavor left for brewing.
1. Used Tea Leaves as Food
This is not the first time I am mentioning eating tea leaves as we previously shared a mushroom fried rice recipe that uses our Smoky Pu-erh (2017).
When adding them to fried rice, noodle, or salad dishes in a similar manner, I recommend using young raw pu-erh, green tea, or white tea. With highly oxidized or aged teas, I do find myself having a mental barrier when trying to add them directly to dishes.
Another way around this is frying the leaves (though I am personally too health-conscious to do this at home) or pickling them.
A quick tea pickle recipe based on Nepalese fermentation practices that Ezra Szkup shared with me is as follows:
- Step 1: Add a tablespoon of salt, some kombucha starter, leftover tea leaves, and lime juice to a mason jar.
- Step 2: Seal and place in a dark and warm place for 7-10 days.
- Step 3: Add pickled tea to your salad or use as a garnish.
2. Used Tea Leaves as a Deodorizer
You may have heard me say not to store your tea in your kitchen because tea is very absorbent.
The other side of the same coin is that spent tea leaves can be used to absorb bad odor!
How? It’s super easy.
- Step 1: Dry the leaves on a large plate or tray to avoid the leaves from getting moldy.
- Step 2: Gather the leaves and tie them up in a cheesecloth or add to a muslin bag.
- Step 3 (optional): Scent the bag with your favorite natural oil. Avoid using artificial scents as they might interfere with the composting discussed below.
- Step 4: Leave the bag in your fridge, wardrobe, drawer, shoe, or anywhere you want to deodorize.
I’ve also heard an anecdote about adding the leaves to a pillow to help sleep better.
3. Used Tea Leaves for Cleaning
Usually, tea is the reason I am cleaning. And I recently shared 4 different ways to remove tea stains.
But ironically, tea can be used to clean as well!
- Cutting board: If it’s your first time, I suggest cleaning your cutting board by leaving damp leaves on it for a few minutes before scrubbing it clean. The leaves should absorb strong odors like meat or fish.
- Dirty dishes: Ready to step it up? Try removing grease from your dishes before washing them. If you are squeamish like me, you can put the leaves on a paper filter but that would defeat the purpose of us trying to be sustainable.
- Windows: I have yet to try cleaning windows with tea. I find that there’s a greater chance of me splattering tea and staining curtains and carpets with tea. One way you can test is to try on your shower glass panel.
4. Tea Leaves for Skin Care
Different types of tea have different health benefits.
Tea leaves are full of antioxidants, such as catechins.
Just as many skincare brands advertise adding tea to their products, you can DIY a tea mask, scrub, or tonic for your skin.
You can soak facial pads with tea and put them on your tired eyelid.
You can also add tea to your tub for a bath.
I recommend using lighter colored tea, such as raw pu-erh, green tea, or white tea. Also, test a small batch on your arm or a different spot on your skin to make sure you don’t get any allergic reactions or stains.
If you brew your tea leaves until there’s no flavor left, you probably consumed most of the antioxidants from the leaves. So this approach would work better with fresh leaves.
5. Used Tea Leaves for Art
Making art with tea leaves was not originally on my list, but I loved the creativity of the idea when Marian, one of our Mansa Tea Society members, suggested it.
She said that her daughter steeps used tea leaves to create watercolors.
- Oolong makes lighter ocher colors
- Pu-erh makes more umber colors
- Matcha makes gorgeous green textured colors
She adjusts the intensity of the color with the amount of tea and steeping time.
This idea has never crossed my mind, but I can see how it can be a fun artful weekend with tea and painting.
I also heard that because tea leaves are high in tannin, they are good for making a tanning solution for tanning animal hides.
6. Tea Leaves for Gardening and Composting
Unless you eat all your tea leaves, you will still be left with tea leaves even after freshening your fridge, cleaning your cutting board, making DIY skincare products, and painting your new home decor.
If you have a backyard and you love gardening, this one's for you.
- Watering: First, you can water your plants with brewed tea. You can boil the tea leaves to extract out all the “tea water” as possible. Make sure to cool before watering your plants.
- Mulching: Create tea mulches for moisture and temperature regulation for your plants. Mulches also block sunlight and prevent weeds. Dry the leaves and collect them in a large jar before mulching to create a 3-4 inch layer of tea leaves on the soil.
- Composting: If you still have tea leaves left over, don’t forget to compost them!
A trick for fast composting without odor is to have a balanced mix of greens and browns (typically 1:3 ratio, but it depends on what you are composting).
- Green (high nitrogen): Fresh grass clippings, freshly picked weeds, most kitchen scraps, and tea leaves
- Brown (low nitrogen): Brown plant material, such as dried grass, fall leaves, wood products, paper. As greens age, they lose nitrogen and turn brown.
The distinction between green and brown is by the amount of nitrogen, not necessarily color. For example, brown coffee grounds are considered green for composting.
You can also collect the tea leaves and other compostable items in the freezer to remove odor until you are ready to compost or try vermicomposting.
If you don’t have a backyard, check to see if your city offers a municipal composting program. For example, NYC apartments with more than 9 units have to call to get a compost bin.
[Sadly, most food scrap drop-off sites in NYC have been closed since March 2020 due to budget cuts related to COVID-19.]
Hope this guide helps us become more sustainable tea lovers. As a tea company, Mansa Tea is also in the process of making our packaging more sustainable, so stay tuned!
7 Top Tips For Recycling Your Used Tea Leaves
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December 30, 2020
‘What to do with used tea leaves?’ is a question we often get asked at Bird & Blend and the answer is: lots!
Used tea leaves are called 'chagra' and have been used by people all over the world, particularly Japan, for thousands of years.
You simply dry your used tea leaves out in the sun or a dry place until they are void of moisture, and then you can use them for a range of things including plant food or bath sachets!
As we are always trying to encourage people to recycle we would love to share with you our favourite uses for your brewed tea leaves.
What can I do with chagra?
- Collect your used tea leaves in a tin or Tupperware box on the side and weekly sprinkle on your flower beds, no need to dry them out first. You can also mix them into soil or compost before planting new plants. The nutrient-rich leaves will help plants grow, rose plants especially like chagra!
- Dry your favourite flavour of tea on some kitchen roll on the radiator, in the sun or in the oven on a very very low heat. Place into little muslin bags to scent your drawers, cupboards or rooms.
- To make a bath sachet, follow Step 2's drying tips and then throw in the tub for a great aromatic soak.
- For a great deodoriser, sprinkle damp leaves onto stained or smelly carpets and hoover up to leave your carpets clean and smelling fresh.
- Place your damp black, green or white tea leaves into a muslin bag and place over tired and sore eyes to refresh them.
- Sprinkle damp leaves onto chopping boards and surfaces that have absorbed strong odours like fish or meat and scrub clean as normal, this will help to absorb unwanted smells and leave your chopping board fresh.
- Use rooibos tea leaves to make an amazing, healing skin tea facial scrub! We have a DIY recipe for this here.
What about used tea bags?
You'll be glad to know that your tea bags can also be reused and recycled creatively. Our tea bags are 100% plastic free, natural and compostable, read more about this and our eco-friendly approach here.
You can easily remove the tea leaves from the parcels by cutting them open and putting them in tupperware and following the steps above, or reusing the teabags themselves.
- Have an aromatic relaxing bath with a herbal tea bag like Dozy Girl. Simply hang over the tap while you run a bath.
- Rehydrate your skin by putting a green tea bag over your face.
- Refresh your tired eyes with damp black, green or white tea bags.
Head over to online shop to explore all of our 80 unique and exciting tea blends with cool teaware options to match!
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The second life of tea leaves: what to do with used tea leaves?
Some types of tea require repeated brewing, while revealing new shades of taste. But there comes a time when tea leaves are no longer drinkable. Do not rush to throw it away - tea is useful not only in a cup.
Tea - universal body care
Tea leaves contain many useful trace elements that a person receives with each serving of the drink. But for tea to become a real medicine, you need to know how to use it. Our grandmothers knew the secret of the benefits of sleeping tea - and yet ancient recipes are often much more useful than modern chemistry.
Tannins contained in tea dry the skin - but gently and without flaking. Thanks to this, with the help of sleeping tea compresses, they help fight oily skin and acne - without the allergies that chemicals can cause. The most useful for this are elite varieties of tea, especially oolong.
Short-term compresses from tea (even teabags) will help relieve fatigue from the eyes, smooth mimic wrinkles and get rid of the red "mesh" of blood vessels.
After brewing tea leaves are softened, washed from dust and deprived of coloring and tannins. Considering that the aroma of sleeping tea has a calming effect, exotic eco-pillows can be made from used tea leaves. For this purpose, it is advisable to buy tea without additives and flavors.
The brewed leaves have also been shown to be an effective antifungal for the feet. A dried bag (or better, several), which has lain in shoes for a couple of days, will absorb excess moisture and unpleasant odors from it.
Tea leaves in the hands of housewives: say no to chemistry!
A swab made from sleeping tea will be an excellent alternative to leather care products, the price of which often “bites”. It is enough to wrap freshly squeezed tea leaves with gauze and rub the skin, and it will acquire a beautiful matte sheen - and all this is completely free.
A weak solution from used tea leaves is an excellent glass polish. Wipe windows and mirrors with a rag soaked in it - and the shine will return without chemistry and gloves. Not only glass can be updated with the help of old tea leaves: wet tea leaves “rubbed” into the carpet will make its color saturated, restoring the original look to the carpet.
Sleeping tea has taken a strong place even in cooking. Just one pinch of it is able to absorb the unpleasant smells of seafood. This will be especially useful when cooking clams and mussels, the aromas of which during cooking do not at all resemble milk and honey.
The ability of tea to absorb odors is very useful in home economics - it is also used for old dishes, e.g. frying pans, cutting boards, etc.
Healthy plant treat
Gardeners and gardeners can see from their own experience how many useful trace elements are contained in tea leaves, simply by adding them to the soil. Fertilizer from sleeping tea is one of the simplest and most affordable plant growth accelerators, while not containing any nitrates and other harmful substances. Some plants can even be watered with tea solution - ferns and roses will especially like this top dressing. But in order not to harm the plant, it is important to follow a number of rules.
You can fertilize indoor flowers with sleeping tea no more than once a month. Excess fertilizer, like their lack, will not be beneficial.
Before putting the tea leaves in the ground, you must first dry it - otherwise it can become not only a fertilizer, but also a substrate for mold.
Also, midges like to nest in wet tea leaves.
Sleeping black (roasted) tea can be used for fertilizing with decoction, but only green tea can be put in flower pots. Outdoor crops are less whimsical - any variety is suitable for them, and tomatoes and zucchini can even be mulched with tea.
their unusual use in everyday life
For many, the morning invariably begins with a cup of hot tea, which helps to cheer up, energize for the whole day and simply cheers up. After finishing breakfast, most people usually throw their used tea bags in the trash without even thinking if they can find some other use.
It turns out that you can do a lot of useful things with them. Keep reading to find out why you should pause before throwing your used tea bag in the trash.
Natural fertilizer
Tea contains tannins, trace elements and nutrients that are natural garden fertilizers. Tea added to the ground penetrates deep into the soil along with rainwater.
During the decomposition process of tea leaves, natural tannic acid, nitrogen and nutrients create a healthier environment for plants. In addition, the contents of a used tea bag can be used to eliminate pests by spreading around flowering plants.
Weed and animal control
Tea bags added to the compost near the roots help retain moisture and help plants retain more water and stay healthy. Worm-recycled tea leaves the soil healthier and more nutritious for plants. Buried used tea bags inhibit the growth of weeds. Spraying your garden with a solution of used tea bags will discourage cats from wanting to urinate on your favorite plants.
Also loose tea leaves or placed in tea bags are great for watering and feeding your roses to stimulate their growth. The use of tea bags for houseplants in pots deserves special attention. You will be pleasantly surprised by their healthy and lush appearance.
Shiny mirrors
If your house is decorated with a lot of mirrors, then it is very important for you that they shine and sparkle.
In addition to the usual chemicals for cleaning them, you can use a spent bag of strong black tea. Pour boiling water over it again and let cool. After that, the composition can easily clean all the mirrors. It is enough to moisten a soft cloth in tea and wipe the entire surface of the mirror. Then polish well with the same soft and dry cloth to a sparkling shine.
Wood floor cleaning
Natural wood floors also require more careful and constant maintenance. Usually, rather strong and aggressive means are used for this, which, of course, has a negative effect on the wooden coating. In order to preserve the color and luster of natural floors for a long time, it is necessary to use the bags left after drinking tea for their processing.
Black tea and its tannin very well, and most importantly, more gently than soap or vinegar, cleans wood, improves its color, and also helps to mask scratches if necessary. To prepare the solution, put the used black tea bags in 1/2 liter of boiling water and leave for 10-15 minutes.
After cooling with a damp cloth soaked in tea, wipe the entire surface of the floors. The number of sachets can vary from 4 to 12, depending on the color of your floor.
Get rid of plaque on dishes
To clean the dark coating from cups left after tea and coffee, as well as to effectively remove unpleasant greasy film from plates and bowls, you can resort to previously used tea bags. This is done quite simply. Dip a few tea bags into slightly warmed water and soak dirty dishes in it for 10 minutes. This procedure will help to easily remove all dirt, stains and grease. In addition, this cleaning method is the most environmentally friendly and harmless to humans.
Toothache relief
Leftover used tea can be used to make a soothing solution for toothache. If it is not possible to immediately contact a specialist, a cup of hot mint tea with the addition of two pinches of salt will help relieve a toothache or any other pain in the mouth. Since mint is an antiseptic and contains menthol, it is able to relieve toothache quite quickly.
It is enough just to rinse your mouth with hot tea and the pain will gradually pass.
Hair care
Freshly brewed or steamed tea bags are a natural remedy for damaged hair. To restore dry and split ends to a natural shine, you need to brew one liter of strong chamomile or mint tea without adding sugar. Then use it for the last rinse after using your regular shampoo.
Clean skin
You can also use a used tea bag if you have a boil. Damp heat greatly accelerates the process of its maturation and breakthrough. It is best to fix the re-steamed and hot tea bag on the boil with a not very tight bandage and leave it overnight.
To eliminate an abscess, use thyme tea, which contains antiseptic substances, and chamomile tea, which contains such an anti-inflammatory substance as chamazulene. Waking up the next morning, you will make sure that the boil has flowed out and you only need to carefully treat the wound with peroxide.
Pleasantly smelling feet
Many people have to deal with the problem of bad smelling feet.
But few people know that already used tea bags can be used to eliminate it. Most often, unpleasant foot odor is the result of increased sweating caused by fungal diseases. The main thing is not to forget about hygiene, and also to make baths from strong black tea. The tannins found in black tea leaves eliminate bacteria, reduce sweating and eliminate odor. You just need to hold your feet in a warm bath of very strong black tea for 20 minutes a day, and the problem will be solved.
Tea bag bath
Even used tea bags continue to contain a large amount of trace elements beneficial to the human body, as well as antioxidants. These substances stop the aging process and protect the skin from the harmful effects of free radicals. Therefore, before taking a bath, do not forget to dip a few tea bags into it. Enjoying such a fragrant and tonic bath will be not only pleasant, but also very useful.
Tea against bags under the eyes
Bags under the eyes that appear for various reasons give us an unhealthy and very tired look.
