Smart Machine That Feeds Stray Animals When Bottles Get Recycled

In the large city of Istanbul, Turkey, an estimated 150,000 stray cats and dogs roam the street. It’s a polarizing topic in the country, and any attempts to eliminate their presence is met with strong opposition. Local animal activists attribute the core problem to the city’s many illegal pet shops and active animal-smuggling trade. With only small fines issued if caught smuggling, many purebred puppies are brought to the stores. There, people buy them as pets but often abandoned the animals when they are too much to handle. The animals are left to fend for themselves on the streets, often malnourished, which is why an innovative company has decided to do something about it.

To raise awareness, a Turkish company, Pudgeon, has designed an innovative vending machine that not only helps feed these stray animals but takes care of recycling, too. When you feed the machine a plastic bottle, it disperses food and water for stray cats and dogs—genius, right? The money made from the recycled bottles is used to purchase more dog and cat food and create more machines. While the machines may not be a sustainable long-term solution, they have brought attention to the issue. For more information about Pudgeon, check out the company’s website and Facebook page.

Written by Shawn Saleme of Visual News // Via Jezebel