Heath & Heather (nice organic teas)

Heath & Heather is a quality brand of organic tea, sold in many stores. The teabags are made with natural wood pulp and hemp, and don’t need heat-sealed plastics, so can go straight into your food waste bin or bin, to naturally break down.

This brand was founded by Samuel Ryder, a Preston boy who left college early to become a shipping merchant, but was forever inspired by his father’s passion for gardening. Founded with his brother James (a passionate herbalist) this company has been around 100 years, and became popular in the 70s when sold in Holland & Barrett (when it used to sell health food, rather than aisles of supplements and whey powders).

Avoid caffeine for pregnancy/nursing (also some herb teas like hibiscus and liquorice). Just bin leaves (caffeine could harm compost creatures). Use a SinkShield to stop clogging drains.

Also read about energy-saving kettles.

Beware (not all ‘plastic-free’ teas are true)

Be careful, as some brands label their teas as ‘plastic-free’, when they actually use plant-based PLA (polylactic acid) that still is not truly plastic-free.

Elephant-friendly tea plantations promise not to poison elephants, farm organically and avoid electric fencing, razor wire and deep narrow ditches (difficult to cross)