The Garbage Cafe, inspired by similar cafes that have opened in countries including Cambodia and Belgium, wants to change that.
In exchange for one kilogram of plastic, the cafe will serve a curry with rice, lentils, and papadams, said Tirkey, estimating that would take a couple of hours to collect.
For half that weight, punters will receive a breakfast of samosas, lentil doughnuts or stuffed flatbreads.
A waste management system set up in 2015 and run by women who go door-to-door collecting plastic for recycling, has helped make Ambikapur one of India's cleanest cities.
The city built a road made entirely of plastic in 2015, India's first and earns 1.2 million rupees ($17,400) a month selling plastic and recycled paper to private companies, according to Tirkey.
In a similar move earlier this year, a school in northeastern Assam state started providing free schooling to students in exchange for plastic waste.
Reuters