It is learnt that tonnes of thermocol waste has found its way on to the banks of River Sal. The waste was also found strewn in low lying fields at Seraulim during flooding. Lots of thermocol waste is seen lying just outside the wholesale fish market in Margao. Since there is a fishing ban in Goa, most of the fish from outside the state comes in thermocol boxes. When improperly disposed of, thermocol ends up in landfills or water bodies where it takes hundreds of years to decompose and in the process releases harmful chemicals thereby contributing to pollution and harming marine life. Thermocol is non-biodegradable because it is photolysis resistant. Polystyrene foam is used to make thermocol. Polystyrene, like plastics, wreaks havoc on the drainage system, entering water bodies and being devoured by aquatic species, therefore entering our food chain. Polystyrene leaches into the fish packed in such containers. Thermocol pollution is as bad as plastic pollution. Almost 95 per cent of it reaches landfills and catches fire easily. There is a need to switch over to plastic containers to transport fish entering the state instead of thermocol containers.
