Tea is one of the healthiest beverages in the world because of the important nutrients it contains. Its antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties and its ability to reduce high blood pressure are why people all over the world drink tea.

For tea drinkers, the question is what do we do with our tea leaves after steeping them? We should do better than just dumping in the trashcan. Apart from the fact that landfills can do with a little less waste every day, “used” tea leaves have a lot of amazing and surprising uses. We’ve compiled some of the most popular and helpful ways of reusing tea leaves and being environmentally friendly.

Five Ways Of Recycling Used Tea Leaves (Chagra)

• RID YOUR REFRIGERATOR OF ODORS

At times we tend to fill up our refrigerator with food and beverages we won’t be eating in a long time. Crumbs and bits of food may get stuck in the corners of the fridge and as a result, when they decay, the fridge begins to emit a foul odour that could persist even after you clean it. Tea leaves are very absorbent so they can act as a deodorizer by absorbing the odours. Simply place the leaves in little muslin bags and leave them in the fridge. You can also use this method to deodorize your shoes and wardrobes.

• USE THEM IN YOUR GARDEN

If you have a garden in your backyard, your used tea leaves could be of assistance. Every week, gather the used tea leaves and scatter them around your flowerbeds. The nutrients found inside the leaves will undoubtedly aid in the growth of your plant. Tea leaves can also be used in mulching or compost making. But if you don’t have a garden, you can always give them to your neighbour who does.

• THEY CAN RELIEVE EYE SORENESS

Putting muslin bags containing damp, used tea leaves on sore and tired eyes can be very refreshing. This is because of the above-mentioned anti-inflammatory properties of tea and the antioxidants that it contains.

If you don’t prefer the direct method or you can’t stay in a particular spot for a long time, another way to take advantage of the remaining nutrients contained in those tea leaves is by eating them. You can add them directly to dishes like fried rice, salad and noodles.

• TEA LEAVES ARE GREAT CLEANING AGENTS

One ironic thing about tea is that although they are one of the most common daily sources of stains – we all know how notorious a single tea stain may prove to be sometimes – their leaves are also used in cleaning surfaces. For surfaces like a cutting board or dirty dishes, leave the damp leaves on them for a few minutes before washing. If you’re doing some spring cleaning, you can also use them to clean the windows. Use 5 teaspoons of the leaves per litre of water. Let it soak for several minutes before wiping the windows with a piece of cloth soaked in the mixture.

• USING TEA LEAVES FOR SKINCARE

The antioxidants contained in tea leaves are very beneficial to the skin. You can use tea leaves to make amazing DIY facial scrubs or skin tonics. You can also add used tea leaves to your bathtub if you can’t go through the trouble of looking for skin tea scrubs recipes online.

This will work better if you haven’t steeped the leaves more than once as steeping and re-steeping tea leaves reduce the content of antioxidants left in the leaves. Also, make sure you don’t have any allergic skin reactions to tea leaves before applying them directly to your skin.