It is a no-brainer that plastic waste is harmful to the environment. Tonnes of garbage is accumulated on a daily basis in our country and it becomes really difficult to dispose them off. We often see ragpickers collected such waste and trying to earn some money by selling them off. Despite all of this, they still don't manage to have a hearty meal. To ensure these homeless people get to eat a good meal, the country's first garbage cafe has been launched in Chhattisgarh. Under this, the Municipal Corporation will provide food to the poor and homeless in lieu of plastic waste.

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Persons fetching 1 kg plastic waste will be offered a full meal while those collecting 500 grams waste will get a substantial breakfast. Ambikapur, which has been selected as the second cleanest city after Indore, plans to use the plastic for construction of roads.

The cafe will operate from the city's main bus stand, said Mayor Ajay Tirkey who presented the city's municipal budget on Monday.

The budget provides Rs 5 lakh for the Garbage Cafe Scheme. There is a plan to provide free shelter to the homeless who collect plastic waste. Ambikapur already has a road made with plastic granules and asphalt.

The first such road in the state has been made in the city by mixing 8 lakh plastic bags. The road constructed by mixing plastic and asphalt is durable, because the water does permeate through it.

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Under the campaign, the Municipal Corporation will provide food for poor and homeless people of the city free of cost. Not only this, there will also be arrangements for shelter with food for such people.

This scheme is being linked to the cleanliness campaign. Ambikapur is the second largest city in the country in the 'Sanitation Campaign'. Tirkey said the corporation has already restricted the use of plastic carry bags.

By adding it to the Garbage Cafe scheme, it will be implemented strictly. Ambikapur made stupendous progress from last year's 40th rank to mark its emphatic presence as the top civic administered town in solid waste management.

(With inputs from agencies)