Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma is interested in funding a company that produces dog food dispensers like the one in Istanbul. This vending machine provides food and water for stray dogs in exchange for recycled plastic bottles.
Shekhar recently posted on X, “Istanbul has a vending machine that releases food and water for the city’s stray dogs in exchange for recycled plastic bottles. What a wonderful idea,”
Sharma added, “I will love to fund this, need some champion of change.”
Animal lover Engin Girgin, along with the Turkish company Pugedon, launched a project in Istanbul in 2014. They developed a dog food dispenser that also doubles as a recycling machine. The dispenser has three openings: one for depositing plastic bottles or cans, a second one for liquids, and a third one for dog food.
If the bottles or cans are recyclable, a certain amount of dog food drops into a bowl, and any remaining liquid can be poured into a separate opening.
“A sensor recognises whether they (bottles and cans) are recyclable or not. If they are, then a certain amount of dog food falls into a bowl in the opening on the lower right-hand side. If there is some water remaining in the bottle and the person doesn't want it anymore, it can be poured into the second opening and the liquid flows into a bowl located right next to the food,” Girgin said in an interview.
Social Media Reaction:
Online users are reacting positively to Shekhar's post.
One user wrote, "Lovely project and I am in"
Another user commented, "Where can i contact you, am ready to put this initiative in the whole country"
A third user replied, "I love this But don't you think people will try to use this to their advantage? You need some security or something."
A fourth user wrote, "It's amazing how a simple act of recycling can make such a big difference in the lives of these animals. Imagine if every city adopted this approach—what a difference we could make!"
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