michael adams wrote:

"FF" wrote in message
...

I've been putting teabags in the compost bin for a couple of years now.
Recently I had to empty a composter as it was in the way of something
else. It hadn't been added to for a good 12 months & I thought it was
probably ok. However .... the bag part of old tea bags and the remains
of cellulose windows in shredded envelopes have made my garden look a
mess.
Granted, adding shredded window envelopes was probably a step too far,
but can someone enlighten me about the tea bags. Leave them in longer?
Take the leaves out of the bag?
...

One point about the paper used in teabags is that it's designed
to withstand being immersed in boiling water, and then left to soak
in liquid more or leass indefinitely, without disintegrating.

But it still rots away in my compost heap. I think it may depend on how
hot the heap gets, but the inside of mine will eat most things at 70C.

As this is a deliberate design feature, its maybe not surprising
that there should be problems with physical breakdown in the warm
moist conditions of the average compost heap. Which probably means
that the compost worms and fungal micro-organism which aid further
decomposition will give them a miss as well.

I suspect if they stay too dry and cool the will last almost
indefinitely but in the right environment they vanish...
(as do quite big chunks of hedge trimmings)

Regards,
Martin Brown