Dog feces, usually associated with stink smells, are now kind of valuable. The Environmental Protection Bureau of Taichung City has initiated a plan to make the city a cleaner place: by giving out coupons for collected dog feces or drinking cups.

To solve the ongoing problem of dog feces left behind in parks, the government will use the coupon as a form of enticement. A NT$100 coupon will be given to persons for every kilogram of dog feces brought in. However, one can only cash in a maximum amount of 2kg dog feces per day.

To deal with the overwhelming amount of drinking cups littering the city, the government also hopes to eliminate it through the coupon plan. Plastic cups in amounts up to 8kg, paper cups amounts up to 25kg, or up to 6kg of foam cups, can all be exchanged for a NT$100 coupon.

The Taichung City Government has decided to set aside NT$130,000 exclusively for issuing coupons and is very confident of the effectiveness of its plan.

However there is some criticism of this innovative plan. Some citizens are deeming this plan as a waste of money and argue the NT$130,000 can be used more productively in other areas needing help. Some see this as an ineffective plan because a mere NT$100 is only minor incentives.

Some citizens even discovered a loophole through suggesting a sneaky way to meet the required weight; by mixing water with the feces. Others criticized the possibility that individuals might use the feces from their own dogs to exchange for the coupon.

Nevertheless some are already cheering this new plan. A number of netizens have organized a plan to collect feces from pet-adoption centers since a large amount of feces are produced in these sites on a daily basis.

According to news sources, the animal rescue groups emphasized this is not a long-term plan. Instead of wasting taxpayer's money on these coupons, the government should develop a more practical plan. They argue the government should utilize subsidies for building dog parks, installing more trash cans for dog feces, or educating the citizens on maintaining better habits.