Give garbage, eat food in this Chhattisgarh café

Ambikapur: Ambikapur Municipal Corporation (AMC) is all set to make the city plastic-free with a unique initiative. AMC will open a first-of-its-kind 'Garbage Cafe' within a few days under which poor people and rag pickers will get free food in exchange for one kilogram of plastic, while breakfast will be provided if half a kilogram of plastic is brought to the cafe.

"The solid waste management of the Ambikapur Municipal Corporation was successful. We have come up with a new provision that if someone brings one kilogram of plastic, he or she will get food for free and on half kilogram of plastic, they will get breakfast free. We have named this 'Garbage Cafe'," said Ambikapur Mayor Ajay Tirkey.

"Our door-to-door waste collection process is already in place. We also re-sell plastic. The initiative will become successful. In the budget, we have allocated Rs 6 lakh for the cafe," he added. The initiative, however, drew harsh criticism from opposition parties, who claimed that the city is already clean and rag pickers will not get plastic anywhere in the city to get free food.