Conventional plastic
Nylon (PA)
Nylon (polyamide) is the plastic of most black kitchen spatulas and spoons, toothbrush bristles, pyramid tea bags and many fabrics. Germany's risk assessor advises keeping nylon utensils' contact with hot food as brief as possible.
By PlasticFreeHome Research Team · Not yet reviewed by an editor · Updated 21 October 2026
- Also called
- polyamide, PA6, PA66
- Type
- Conventional plastic
- Found in
- black kitchen utensils, toothbrush bristles, pyramid tea bags, dental floss, tights and sportswear, scourers
- Heat
- Keep contact with hot food short. Above about 70°C, nylon utensils release oligomers into food.
- Recycling in the UK
- Not collected in UK household recycling. Nylon textiles can go to textile banks.
What it is
Nylon is the common name for polyamides (PA), a family of tough, heat-resistant plastics. It has no recycling code of its own. In the home it's used wherever something has to be strong, smooth and flexible: kitchen spatulas, toothbrush bristles, dental floss, tights, sportswear and the silky mesh of many pyramid tea bags.
Kitchen utensils
Black spatulas, spoons and ladles are usually nylon. Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) found that above about 70°C, nylon utensils release oligomers, short chains of the polymer, into food. Its advice is to keep nylon's contact with hot food as brief as possible: don't leave a spoon standing in a simmering pan.
Wooden or stainless steel utensils avoid the issue entirely: nylon utensils → wood.
Tea bags
Silky pyramid bags are often nylon or PET mesh. A 2019 study reported billions of particles released into a cup from plastic mesh bags, but Germany's risk assessor re-tested it in 2025 and found the counts were probably far too high, with most particles being oligomers rather than microplastics. The exposure is real in principle; its size is debated. See how to tell if your tea bags contain plastic and tea bags → loose leaf.
Toothbrushes and floss
Nearly all toothbrush bristles are nylon, including on most bamboo toothbrushes, where the handle is plant-based but the bristles aren't. That's still a big cut in plastic, and dental hygiene comes first. See plastic toothbrush → bamboo.
Clothes
Nylon fabrics shed fibres in the wash, like polyester. See laundry, microfibres and synthetic clothes.
Recycling
Nylon isn't collected in household recycling. Worn-out nylon clothes can go to textile banks; utensils and brushes go in general waste.
Related guides
Sources
- BfR (2019) — polyamide (nylon) kitchen utensils: keep contact with hot food as brief as possible, because oligomers migrate above 70°C
- Hernandez et al. (2019), Environmental Science & Technology — particles released from nylon and PET mesh tea bags (counts later disputed)
- BfR (2025) — re-assessment of the 2019 tea bag study: counts probably far too high, most particles were oligomers
Swaps involving PA
Plastic tea bags → loose-leaf or plastic-free bags
Many tea bags are sealed with polypropylene or made of plastic mesh. Hot water plus plastic, several times a day; how much reaches your cup is still debated.
High priority · about 120 g of plastic a year
Nylon spatulas and spoons → wood or steel
Hot oil and pans soften plastic utensils. Wooden and steel ones don't melt, chip or leach.
High priority · about 60 g of plastic a year
Plastic toothbrush → wood handle, natural or replaceable bristles
A wooden handle cuts most of the plastic — but nearly all bristles are still nylon.
Worth doing · about 80 g of plastic a year
Synthetic fleece and activewear → natural fibres (as you replace)
Synthetic clothes shed microfibres in every wash. Replace them with natural fibres as they wear out — don't bin good clothes.
Worth doing · about 1.5 kg of plastic a year