A thermocol recycling unit in Alawalpur panchayat of Patna district’s Khusrupur block is generating products worth Rs 17 lakh a month by converting discarded thermocol into reusable granules, Bihar rural development department minister Shrawan Kumar said on Saturday.
The unit was established by garbage trader Deepak Kumar under the Lohia Swachchha Bihar Abhiyan and the Centre’s Swachchha Bharat Mission (rural). According to the minister, the facility is intended to remove thermocol waste from rural areas and process it into a marketable material rather than allowing it to remain in the local waste stream.
The facility produces between 40 and 50 tonnes of recycled thermocol granules every month. The granules are sold at Rs 35,000 per tonne, with the material being marketed for reuse after processing. The figures cited by the minister indicate a monthly output value of roughly Rs 14 lakh to Rs 17.5 lakh, depending on production levels.
The unit sources thermocol waste through 11 collectors. Eight collectors operate in Patna, while two are based in Ranchi and one in Varanasi. This supply network extends the facility’s waste catchment beyond Patna district and links the recycling operation to collection activity in three cities.
Thermocol, commonly used in packaging, decoration and protective products, is difficult to manage through conventional waste systems when it is discarded in mixed waste. The Bihar government described the material as dangerous for the environment and said the unit was established to address the accumulation of thermocol solid waste in rural areas.
The project also provides direct employment to 12 people, according to the minister. Its operating model combines waste collection, processing and resale, giving discarded thermocol an economic value after it enters the recycling chain.
The unit’s operations are tied to the Lohia Swachchha Bihar Abhiyan, a state initiative, and the rural component of the national Swachh Bharat Mission. The minister’s statement did not specify the total investment in the facility, the quantity of thermocol waste collected before the unit began operating, or the process used to ensure that the recycled granules meet market or safety standards.
The announcement highlights the role of decentralised processing facilities in handling waste outside major municipal treatment plants. In this case, a unit located in a rural panchayat is receiving material from collectors in Patna, Ranchi and Varanasi, while creating a direct revenue stream from a waste category that is otherwise difficult to manage.
The Bihar rural development department did not provide further details on the unit’s capacity expansion plans or whether similar thermocol recycling facilities are proposed elsewhere in the state. For now, the Alawalpur facility’s reported output, sales and employment figures remain the key details disclosed about the operation.
