Europe is brainstorming for ways to get plastics litter back into the recycling stream, with deposit-return schemes for bottles and packaging on many governments’ to-discuss lists. Around 6,500 km away in India, one restaurant in the city of Ambikapur, knowing that the way to a person’s heart is through their stomach, has a different tactic. Customers can collect and bring in 1 kg of plastics and in return feast on a meal of rice, lentils and papadams.

How the “garbage café” can manage the kilos of plastics coming in with a party of 10 is one simmering question. Seems like a nearby warehouse might be necessary for family get-togethers and big appetites.