From Waste to Worth — The Untold Story of India’s Tea Estate Residue

 Every year, India’s tea estates produce thousands of tonnes of waste that often go unnoticed. Discover how the Mulch Project turns this byproduct into a sustainable soil solution.

From Waste to Worth — The Untold Story of India’s Tea Estate Residue

Every cup of tea begins with a story of soil, sunlight, and skill but few know what happens after the leaves are plucked. Across India’s tea estates, mountains of leftover tea dust, stems, and residue pile up every season. This organic waste, although harmless in appearance, often ends up in landfills or is burned, releasing carbon emissions and wasting valuable nutrients that could have nourished the very soil it came from.

At Mulch, we looked at that waste differently.

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The Hidden Problem

India is one of the world’s largest tea producers, generating an estimated 30,000+ tonnes of tea residue each year. Most estates lack a structured system to reuse this organic material effectively. The result? Soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, and a growing reliance on chemical fertilizers to maintain productivity.

For workers and managers on the ground, this cycle felt inevitable until now.

A Spark in Assam

The idea for Mulch began during a student internship in Assam. While studying the tea-making process, our founder Aarav noticed heaps of discarded tea waste at the back of factories. It wasn’t just waste, it was potential waiting to be transformed.

With guidance from agronomists and sustainable design mentors, Aarav began experimenting with ways to reuse this residue, blending it with sawdust, organic greens, and natural binders. After months of testing, the first batch of mulch was created a clean, dry soil cover that locks in moisture, restores fertility, and eliminates waste.

Turning Waste into Growth

Mulch isn’t compost. It doesn’t decompose or smell. Instead, it acts as a protective layer that keeps the soil cool, reduces water evaporation, and naturally enriches the land as it breaks down slowly.

Every bag of Mulch represents:

•  Tea waste diverted from landfills

•  Improved soil moisture retention

•  Reduced fertilizer dependency

A Sustainable Future

From one idea in Assam to pilot projects across tea estates, Mulch is showing that sustainability isn’t just possible, it's practical. When waste turns into nourishment, the land thrives, the farmers save, and the planet breathes easier.