It is no doubt that plastic waste is harmful to all life forms on Earth. Sadly, tonnes of garbage is generated regularly in our country and the process becomes even tougher as far as disposing of the plastics is concerned.
We might have also seen ragpickers collecting such waste and trying to earn little money by selling them off. But still, they don’t get a satisfying meal with the money they earn.
So, in order to make sure that these homeless ones get to eat a good meal, India’s first garbage cafe has been launched in Chhattisgarh. The Municipal Corporation will offer food to the poor and homeless in exchange for plastic waste rather than money.
It means people who fetch 1 kg plastic waste will get a full meal while those collecting 500 grams waste will get a satisfactory breakfast. Ambikapur, a city in Surguja district of Chhattisgarh, which has been considered as the second cleanest city after Indore, plans to make use the plastic for construction of roads.
The country’s first garbage cafe will run from the city’s main bus stand, said Mayor Ajay Tirkey who had presented the city’s municipal budget on Monday.
The budget offers Rs 5 lakh for the Garbage Cafe Scheme and there is also a plan to provide free shelter to the homeless people who collect plastic waste. In fact, Ambikapur city already has a road made with plastic granules and asphalt.
The first such road in Chhattisgarh has been made in Ambikapur by mixing 8 lakh plastic bags. The road built by mixing plastic and asphalt is so durable because the water does penetrate through it.
Under the most-effective campaign, the Municipal Corporation will offer food for poor and homeless people of the city absolutely free of cost. Not just that, there will also be necessary arrangements for shelter with food for those less unfortunate ones.
This scheme is being connected to the cleanliness campaign. Ambikapur is said to be the second-largest city in India in the ‘Sanitation Campaign’. Mayor Ajay Tirkey said the corporation has already banned the usage of plastic carry bags.
(With inputs from agencies)