Istanbul is working on a project that is not just environment-friendly but also involves feeding stray dogs. I caught the attention of Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma so much that in a post on X, he said, “I would love to fund a company that makes such ‘dog food dispensers”.
In his post, Vijay Sharma shared a picture that featured a vending machine for stray dogs in Istanbul. The machine, in exchange for recycled plastic bottles, generates food and water for stray dogs.
The picture he shared in the post says, “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.”
In his post, Sharma said, “I would love to fund this; I need some champions of change," which shows how eager he is to support such a project.
Many people on the internet were delighted with his idea and expressed interest in participating in the project, and many users also praised the concept, saying “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!”
This project was launched by animal lover Engin Girgin, along with Turkish company Pugedon, in 2014 in Istanbul. In a conversation with German news website Der Spiegel, Girgin explained the concept of a dog food dispenser in an old interview.
He explained that the dispenser features three openings: one at the front where one can deposit plastic bottles or cans, a second one for liquids below, and the third one on the right-hand side at the bottom.
Girgin said, “A sensor recognizes whether the bottles or cans are recyclable or not. If they are, then a certain amount of food falls into a bowl. If there is some water remaining in the bottle that the person doesn’t want, then it can be poured into the second opening, and the liquid can be poured into the second opening located right next to the food.”
During his interview, he showed his love for animals by explaining how he pets five dogs and saying, “I absolutely love animals, not just my own but also those that live on the streets, and those are the ones that need help.”.