Kullu’s Waste-to-Taste Cafe: Residents Get Free Meals for Collecting Trash

Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, India, has been struggling with the poor waste management system for a while now. Given the popularity of town among the tourists, a lot of waste generation and lack of a dumping site, the town authorities have taken up a clever initiative to cope up with the situation.

Kullu Waste to Taste Cafe / Representational Image

The district management has opened a Waste-to-Taste café, which will provide free meals to the residents who will deposit the waste material to the Material Recovery Facility (MRF) located at Nehru Park in the Sarwari area of Kullu town. Of course, certain terms and conditions are applied.

Not long before, the garbage dumping site of the district was closed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), as it was polluting the Beas River. After closing of this site, garbage disposal became quite a problem and when door-to-door garbage collecting stopped for a while, people started littering everywhere. This new scheme is to encourage people to participate in the proper garbage disposal initiative while the management is looking for a new dumping site.

According to the Waste-to-Taste café scheme, residents would have to bring trash from their homes or locality in some certain quantities and they can enjoy free meals like pizzas, burgers and other local cuisines.

The residents will be depositing waste materials like glass, paper, plastic or e-waste and they will get coupons which can be used to enjoy free meals at some specified restaurants and cafes. The coupons can even buy dinner for four.

Kullu deputy commissioner Richa Verma hopes that this initiative started on August 10 will change the scenario of the town for better. Meanwhile, the authorities have urged the residents to contribute to make the town clean by participating in this initiative and enjoy meals.

Via: Times of India