Chicken Biryani for Rs. 80, Fish Thali for Rs. 160, Snacks for half kg plastic waste, Veg Thali with Rise, Rotis, Dal and Sabzi for a kilo of plastic waste- sounds quite odd, doesn’t it? Yet, it is an actual menu of a café in Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh. Called the ‘Garbage Café,’ this place is the best spot for all wishing to minimise their contribution to the large overflowing dustbins in their town. This one of a kind café was established by the Ambikapur Municipal Corporation just four years ago.
Human and environment upliftment go hand in hand
The café is easily visible from a distance due to their big, bold signboard of ‘More the Waste, Better the Taste’ which brings more emphasis their dual goal: to reduce waste being disposed mindlessly, and to provide nutritious meals to ragpickers who may not have enough money to have two square meals a day. Such a place makes it easier for them to stay healthy by giving a small portion of their finds in exchange for food.
The Garbage Café is located close to the town bus stand. It was inaugurated in 2019 by the then Health Minister of Chhattisgarh, T S Singh Deo. It was reported that the café succeeded on its mission on the very first day of its working, when five people ate there after handing over their plastic waste. Singh Deo himself ate with these customers, and received a positive impression about the quality of the food there.
This venture was the result of a deliberation on the grave condition of homeless people in the area who slept without food at times, that went for a long time. The administrators felt that handing out free food every day could not have been a solution to this, and with their wisdom and kindness, carved a different path. It made this basic human need accessible to all, without taking their independence away.
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