Recycling Your Loose Leaf Green Tea

Loose leaf green tea can be a waste if you don't know how to recycle. If you’re an experienced brew lover, then you’ve no doubt cringed at the thought of tossing out your precious leaves after your pot is done and your cup dry. You may be familiar with re-using spent or previously brewed leaves, but did you know that your loose leaf green tea can be recycled for specific purposes?

Lots of the same things that make drinking the beverage so beneficial also can be put to work for you long after you “think” the leaves have given it their all!

Various recycling applications require that the leaves are thoroughly dry. This can be accomplished by placing the leaves out in the sun to dry on a rack or several layers of unprinted paper toweling. Be sure to move the leaves around a few times during the drying process to ensure they’re evenly dry.

Skin & Beauty

It is well accepted that loose leaf green tea is great for your skin. Just like when you drink it, it can also protect your skin against aging and its powerful antioxidants help scavenge free radicals. One of the easiest ways to take advantage of the essential oils present in the leaves is to take a brew bath.

Place some of your used, dry leaves in cheesecloth; making sure to leave enough room for the leaves to unfurl in the hot water. As you bathe, the recycled leaves will steep and release their bounty into the water for your eager skin to drink up. You can also use the cloth ‘teabag’ to scrub your body and gently exfoliate and moisturize.

If you are like most of us, sometimes you notice a pair of puffy and swollen, tired eyes staring back at you in the mirror. Damp loose leaf green tea placed into a small cotton teabag is the perfect way to reduce that irritating eye puffiness. If your eyes are especially puffy, you can briefly place the dampened leaves into the refrigerator before resting them over your eyes.

Home & Garden

Loose leaf green tea is also a powerful odor absorber so there is no wonder why dried, recycled leaves are oftentimes sprinkled in kitty litter boxes to help tame the smell and make it more sanitary.

Another simple way to get the most out of your spent leaves is to use them to clean and deodorize cutting boards or polish furniture. For the cutting boards, take a handful of used leaves and spread over the board. Next, scrub the board then rinse with water and dry. To use as a furniture polish, put a handful of leaves into a cloth and use for dusting wood furniture. The leaves can also be used to freshen the home as well as repel mosquitoes when burned as incense. Also, try simmering your spent loose leaf green tea in a potpourri burner along with some of your favorite flowers and dried herbs for a bright, herbaceous scent.

If you compost, don’t forget to add your spent leaves! However, it can also be made into a fertilizer all on its own. Some experienced gardeners bury used loose leaf green tea near the roots of roses and other plants to help provide nutrients. You can also make a weak brew and use the strained liquid to feed plants.

Try thinking of some chores for your used loose leaf green tea. You may be surprised just how many uses these wonderful and ancient leaves truly have.