With a massive population of 20 million, Delhi faces a huge challenge in waste management. The city generates 11 million kilograms of municipal waste daily (much of which is plastic), and a large amount of this waste ends up in landfills or blocks drainage systems, contributing to the city’s pollution.   

The ‘Garbage Café’ concept was introduced by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) in 2020 as a solution to the growing plastic waste issue across the city, encouraging citizens to actively participate in waste reduction efforts. The way it works is simple: people can bring in plastic waste like bottles, bags, wrappers and other recyclables in exchange for a meal voucher which can be redeemed at participating cafés.   

The initiative has been successful so far, encouraging waste reduction while providing immediate benefits to those in need. One 28-year-old Delhi resident Akash has embraced the initiative by collecting plastic bottles and other recyclables, securing meals for his entire family and helping with household expenses.   

Beyond individuals like Akash, local business owners have seen the positive results of the program. Yash Kumar, owner of Evergreen Café, noticed an increase in recycling and waste management awareness in his neighbourhood. His café also installed a plastic crusher machine to improve the efficiency of the plastic disposal and recycling process.   

As Garbage Cafés spread to other regions of India such as Chhattisgarh and Odisha, their success proves that community-driven solutions can create a lasting, positive impact and foster a more waste-conscious society.  

In most parts of Australia, residents can return plastic bottles and cartons under one litre for recycling through Container Deposit Schemes (CDS) and receive a 10c refund per container recycled, helping keep our environment clean and litter-free and ensuring valuable materials stay in use. 

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