Thermocol Waste Management

Innovative solutions to manage thermocol waste locally

Bulk waste generators enrolled

700+

Kgs waste diverted from landfills

Awareness and outreach sessions held

Background

Thermocol, or expanded polystyrene (EPS), is widely used in packaging, insulation, and disposable items due to its lightweight and cushioning properties. However, it is a type of plastic, “Class 6”, and, like most plastics, it is non-biodegradable and pollutes the environment when discarded in landfills or incinerated.

In Ladakh, thermocol waste ends up in dumpsites. Being fragile, thermocol gets damaged, and when it gets mixed with other waste in the municipal collection truck, it gets contaminated. This increases the challenges for recovering and processing thermocol from the general stream of waste. It is also not economically profitable to transport recovered thermocol waste to recyclers outside Ladakh. Being lightweight, thermocol also gets flown away from the dumpsites and pollutes the environment.

However, thermocol is recyclable and can be reused and repurposed in various sustainable ways. For example, it can be used in construction due to its insulating properties.

Objective

Our Thermocol Waste Management programme aims to establish a thermocol waste collection and management model that includes reuse, repurpose, and recycling thermocol locally in Ladakh. Supported under the CSR initiative of Supreme Petrochem Limited (SPL), a global supplier of styrenics, the objective of the programme, started in May 2025, is to reduce waste pollution and promote plastic circularity in the Himalayan region.

Activities

We map out bulk generators of thermocol waste and conduct door-to-door collection from them. In the first stage of the project, the collected thermocol is stored at our designated thermocol collection centre, set up as part of the programme. Upon collecting a substantial quantity of 2-3 MT of thermocol, different ways of processing the thermocol will be explored, which include reuse, repurposing, and recycling.

To ensure greater collection of thermocol, we create awareness among the bulk generators of thermocol waste about our programme and enrol them in the programme. Those enrolled in the programme store the thermocol waste for collection. In addition, we conduct awareness and outreach activities to educate residents, businesses, students, and government departments about various environmental themes such as the impact of waste, the importance of source segregation and waste reduction.

Impact

We have established a centralised thermocol collection centre in May 2025 in Leh, the first-of-its-kind in Ladakh, where thermocol waste collected from bulk generators is stored for further processing. We have collected over 500 kgs of thermocol in less than two months into the programme and conducted over 4 awareness and outreach activities, reaching out to municipal waste workers, women in rural areas and village communities in wetland areas.

The Way Forward

Establish a network of drop-off points in the main cities of Leh and Kargil that are easily accessible to residents
Establish a centralised thermocol collection centre in the city of Kargil, similar to the one opened in Leh
Create awareness amongst the local community about thermocol waste management
Acquire a portable styro-constrictor that can compact the thermocol on-site during collection
Establish a booking system to pick up polystyrene from villages on a need basis
Acquire a portable styro-constrictor to operate in remote parts
Pilot a small-scale thermocol recycling unit in Ladakh
Identify and collaborate with recycling units or start-ups that recycle thermocol waste into value-added products
Explore innovative ways of reusing and repurposing thermocol locally, especially in construction and packaging

ZERO WASTE LADAKH

Thermocol Waste Management

Establish a network of drop-off points in the main cities of Leh and Kargil that are easily accessible to residents

Establish a centralised thermocol collection centre in the city of Kargil, similar to the one opened in Leh

Create awareness amongst the local community about thermocol waste management

Acquire a portable styro-constrictor that can compact the thermocol on-site during collection

Establish a booking system to pick up polystyrene from villages on a need basis

Acquire a portable styro-constrictor to operate in remote parts

Pilot a small-scale thermocol recycling unit in Ladakh

Identify and collaborate with recycling units or start-ups that recycle thermocol waste into value-added products

Explore innovative ways of reusing and repurposing thermocol locally, especially in construction and packaging

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