In Brussels we are legally obligated to put organic waste in orange bags for collection and composting. And we are obligated to put plastic in blue “PMB” bags for recycling.

I bought some tea bags which happen to be plastic mesh instead of paper. Yikes. That is not always disclosed on the pkg. Of course I won’t be arrested if I toss the spent tea bag in the white bag of non-recyclable waste. But I wanted to at least try to act responsibly, so I opened the tea bag and dumped the spent leaves in the orange bag.

I thought: wouldn’t it actually be useful to let the plastic mesh dry and re-use it for non-edible spices when cooking (e.g. bay leaves), or even loose tea again?

Attempt 1: using a heat sealer intended for solid plastic bags failed to reseal the plastic mesh. Apparently it does not get hot enough, despite using the “moist” setting to cook the plastic longer.

Attempt 2: wedge the open seam of the mesh between two metal rulers and use a lighter. It works, but fuck this. Not worth the effort. Also results in black burnt plastic that could chip off and get lost in the food.