Imagine walking into a café where you don't need money to enjoy a meal. Instead, you hand over plastic waste-old bags, bottles, or food wrappers-and leave with a nutritious breakfast or lunch. This is not a dream, but a reality in several Indian cities, thanks to innovative "Garbage Cafés." These cafés are run by municipal corporations, offering full meals for one kilogram of plastic waste, or breakfast for half a kilogram. Ambikapur city in Chhattisgarh, Central India, pioneered this initiative in 2019 with the slogan, "The more waste, the more taste," successfully linking plastic waste management with solving food scarcity. The project was primarily funded from the sanitation budget of the municipal corporation.
Bangladesh faces parallel challenges, where hunger and plastic pollution remain persistent problems. Many destitute individuals collect plastic waste from streets and neighborhoods and sell it at local scrap shops, often at a loss or through deceit. Small plastic items, such as bottle caps and pen tips, frequently remain scattered, contributing further to environmental pollution. If a similar initiative like "Garbage Cafés" is implemented by city corporations in selected areas, not only would marginalized and homeless populations gain reliable access to food, but citizens of all backgrounds would also become more conscious of environmental protection. Dhaka alone has 129 wards-54 under Dhaka North City Corporation and 75 under Dhaka South City Corporation-making it feasible to launch a pilot project in selected areas, evaluate its impact, and gradually expand nationwide. Such an initiative could simultaneously combat hunger and reduce plastic pollution, building on the success of India's model.
In Dhaka, one of the city's most recurring sufferings is flooding during rainfall. The primary cause is plastic waste clogging drains, resulting in waterlogging. Bangladesh produces approximately 977,000 tons of plastic annually. In Dhaka alone, over 13 million polythene bags find their way into lakes, canals, ponds, drains, and rivers every day, affecting soil fertility and disrupting ecosystems. High population density exacerbates plastic usage, while the absence of designated disposal sites leads to indiscriminate waste disposal. The two Dhaka city corporations generate about 8,000 metric tons of waste daily, 10 to 15 percent of which is plastic. Similarly, Chattogram produces around 3,000 tons of waste daily, including 249 tons of plastic, one-fourth of which remains uncollected, causing both pollution and drainage issues.
A UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) study estimates that roughly 73,000 tons of plastic enter the oceans daily via the Padma, Jamuna, and Meghna rivers, harming aquatic life, soil, plants, and animals. Plastic breaks down into microplastics, which enter the human body through air, water, and food, raising risks of cancer, lung diseases, and kidney problems. Currently, Bangladesh produces around 2,500 types of plastic products and imports 1.409 million tons of virgin plastic resin annually. Despite government bans, these activities continue unabated.
Introducing an initiative like Garbage Café could address multiple issues simultaneously. It should not be the responsibility of city corporations or government agencies alone. Civil society members and social organizations working on environmental issues must also participate to make it practical and sustainable in our context. Such collaboration would reduce the amount of plastic going to landfills, maintain proper records of waste, and provide valuable data for research to track the types and sources of waste. Waste could then be collected by category and sent to designated treatment plants for recycling, which could also generate revenue. Plastic waste could be transformed into construction pellets, wet waste into compost, and a small portion of non-recyclable waste could serve as fuel for cement factories.
Currently, household and open-source waste is sold to small local scrap shops, then to larger recycling factories, and finally processed into new products. A government-led project like Garbage Café could cut out middlemen, ensuring that money flows directly into the state treasury. Beyond Ambikapur, similar initiatives have been launched in Shiliguri (West Bengal), Mulugu (Telangana), and Mysuru (Karnataka), where food, sanitary products, and essential medicines are offered in exchange for plastic waste. In Bangladesh, all stakeholders could be brought together under one umbrella to create a sustainable ecosystem that addresses hunger, health, and environmental issues simultaneously.
South Korea, host of World Environment Day 2025, serves as an exemplary model. Over the past 28 years, the country has made remarkable progress in air and water quality, chemical management, and ecosystem restoration, especially in plastic waste management. Their "Comprehensive Life Cycle Plastic Strategy" addresses every stage from production to disposal. By reducing waste at the source, enhancing recycling, and moving towards a circular economy, South Korea is building a sustainable future. By implementing similar initiatives like Garbage Cafés, Bangladesh could track plastic usage at every stage, reduce environmental harm, and take a significant step toward a circular economy.
As responsible citizens, we should gradually reduce plastic use and embrace eco-friendly alternatives. While this shift may take time, innovative initiatives like Garbage Cafés offer a tangible first step in the fight against hunger, pollution, and environmental neglect. Bangladesh has the opportunity to think creatively and act decisively for a sustainable future.
The writer is a researcher
