Ready to recycle

Roughly a 5 minute read

We want to be part of a circular economy where resources are used over and over again.

For our products, this means we want our packaging to be made from recycled or renewable materials and to be reusable, recyclable or compostable after use. But we need your help to achieve this.

Here’s an easy-to-follow guide so you can see the journey we’re on and where you can help us out by disposing each part of your packaging in the best way possible

Yorkshire Tea Boxes

The Box

Yorkshire Tea boxes are cardboard, made from wood from FSC® Certified sources.

This goes in your paper and cardboard recycling.

The tea bags

75% of our tea bag material is natural-based fibres: a mix of wood pulp and either abaca (a kind of banana plant) or rayon (made from woodpulp).

25% is an oil-based plastic sealing material called polypropylene, but we’re working on a switch to a renewable, plant-based, industrially compostable plastic called Polylactic Acid (PLA), which is made from cornstarch.

At the moment, these should go in your normal bin. After the switch to PLA, they should go in council composting bins (garden waste or food waste). They're not suitable for home compost heaps because they won't get hot enough to break down.

The outer wrap

This is made from oil-based plastic (polypropylene) — and it’s the next thing we want to change after our tea bags. We’re researching ways to remove the wrap and hope to start changing our packaging in 2021.

This isn't currently recyclable, so it should go in your normal bin.

Taylors Roast and Ground Coffee

The pack

Our roast and ground coffee packs are made from a layered mix of oil-based plastics and metallised film. We’ve reduced the weight of our coffee film over the years, but have work to do to make it recyclable. We need to ensure we find a material that will keep the quality and freshness of the coffee inside, and something like that is hard to find. It’s a key priority for us and we’re actively trialing new options in-house.

This isn't currently recyclable, so it should go in your normal bin.

Taylors Coffee Bags

The Box

The boxes that hold our coffee bags are made from wood that comes from FSC® Certified sources or from post-consumer waste.

This goes in your paper and cardboard recycling.

The coffee bags

We have been able to use PLA — a plant based, industrially compostable plastic — in our coffee bags since they launched.

Our coffee bags can be popped in your food or garden council waste bins. These don’t go in your home compost heap as they need quite a bit of heat and space to break down.

The outer wrap

This is made from a ‘triple laminate’ material of plastics and aluminium foil. Without this envelope or with a paper alternative your coffee would start to go stale within a week. We’re yet to find a good enough replacement which we know can be properly recycled and keep your coffee fresh.

We’ve already reduced the envelope material by 25% which is a good start, but we’re working hard to find a new material that will meet our needs.

This isn't currently recyclable, so it should go in your normal bin.

Yorkshire Tea Speciality Brews

The box

Yorkshire Tea boxes are cardboard, made from wood from FSC® Certified sources.

This goes in your paper and cardboard recycling.

The tea bags

75% of our tea bag material is natural-based fibres and 25% is polypropylene — an oil-based plastic sealing material. We’re working on a switch to a renewable, plant-based, industrially compostable plastic called Polylactic Acid or PLA.

At the moment, these should go in your normal bin. After the switch to PLA, they should go in council composting bins (garden waste or food waste).

The inner wrap

The inner wrap is made from metallised polyethylene (an oil-based plastic). We’d like to change this packaging once we’ve completed our tea bag material switch and changed the outer wrap on our tea boxes (both of which involve a higher overall volume of plastic). At the moment we’re hoping to change this pack in 2022.

This isn't currently recyclable, so it should go in your normal bin.

Yorkshire Tea Bulk Bags

The pack

Our biggest packs are made from polyester and polyethylene. We’d like to change this packaging once we’ve completed our tea bag material switch and changed the outer wrap on our tea boxes (both of which involve a higher overall volume of plastic).

This isn't currently recyclable, so it should go in your normal bin.

Loose Leaf Tea

The pack

Our loose leaf tea packs are made from a layered mix of oil-based plastics, metallised polyester, polypropylene and polyethylene. We’d like to change this packaging once we’ve completed our tea bag material switch and removed the outer wrap on our tea boxes (both of which involve a higher overall volume of plastic). The plan is to start serious work on it next year and have it ready in 2022.

This isn't currently recyclable, so it should go in your normal bin.

Takeaway Cups

Our Yorkshire Tea and Taylors Coffee Takeaway cups are made from paper and lined with a renewable, plant-based plastic called Polylactic Acid (PLA) on the inside, which stops the tea from leaking out. They’re industrially compostable and we provide dedicated bins for them at events we run.

Disposal of compostable cups is complex at the moment. They're not certified as home compostable and shouldn't go in food waste or garden waste bins because they look like standard takeaway cups (which contain oil-based plastic and aren't compostable) so are often removed during processing. So right now they're best collected on their own in dedicated bins, which we provide at events we run. If there isn’t a dedicated bin to put them in, the best place to put them is in a normal bin.

For more information on recycling packaging and other items that you have around the house, be sure to take at look at the Recycle Now website, which is packed with guidance on what you can recycle at home and locally.

Last updated 19th April 2021