Culturally, Sweden is a really cool country. But like all countries, it has its idiosyncrasies.
With this view in mind, let’s play a game called “What’s Missing”?
(Answers are found at the bottom of the post).
1) What’s missing in this picture?
2) What’s missing in this picture?
3) What’s missing in this picture?
4) What’s missing in this picture?
5) What’s missing in this picture?
What are some other juxtapositions, hypocrisies, or just weird things that you’ve noticed about Sweden?
Answers:
1) No street lights, even though this is a road about three blocks outside of the center of Uppsala. Uppsala has a few street lights, but by-and-large, Sweden’s fourth largest city lacks streets lights; allowing walkers, bikers, and cars to traverse at their own risk.
2) Again, no street lights, even though we’re in the heart of downtown Uppsala on one of the busiest streets. However, the main thing missing is any semblance of a sidewalk or security for people dining at a local restaurant. See, Uppsala believes that cars, bikers, walkers, and in this case diners, should all share the road.
3) Trick question: everything is happening the way it should–cars are stopped, bikers are biking, and they’re even thanking the car. Such a rare moment. Although biking is quite common, at intersections, there’s always a bit of chicken being played, where cars and bikers wonder who will yield to the other.
4) Although biking is immensely popular in Uppsala, helmets are rarely worn. In fact, you can almost always tell who is a parent and who isn’t–hint, parents want to be good role models for their children.
5) This is a very popular shopping center (representing many shopping centers also constructed this way). This one is popular since it contains a grocery story and a liquor store. However, despite its popularity and the massive road outside of it, there are no parking spaces. People who shop here walk or take a bike. And that’s not a road for cars, there are just that many bikers in Uppsala.
It’s not unusual to go to someones house and find a minuscule trash can, because everything else gets recycled.
The coffee machine is about as big as a typical household trash can in Sweden.
Or go to work and find 1 trash can for 30 people (and it still isn’t full after the full day).
On the left is food rubbish to be decomposed, while on the right is the only cafeteria trash can for 30 people.
And yet, whenever you go to the store and buy a liter bottle of coke or a can of beer, you’re charged an extra Krona (about 14 cents).
Many people see this as a strategy to encourage you to recycle. However, there are problems to paying people for their recycling:
1) Purity is key
Damaged cans are no good for recycling:
How can a can be recycled if you can’t read the bar code? There couldn’t be another way….not in beautiful Sweden!
Damaged cans are worth nothing (there’s goes that 1 kr). Hopefully you kept all of the other 50 cans from your party in good condition.
2) Take your receipt
Forgetting to take your receipt or forgetting where you left the paper earns you no money back!
How could a machine pay you direct cash? This is Sweden; we’re cashless and care about the environment: please take your receipt.
Cash dispensed would then allow people to buy anything, including alcohol…and that would be bad.
So, recycling = money for grocery stores (who sell beer….but it’s weak beer….and no one would collect enough cans to buy enough weak beer to continue with their alcoholism.
You can cash them in or donate your kronor to the Red Cross….How did they get so lucky to be the only organization I can donate to?
3) After this process, you may now claim your prize
If you remember to hand the receipt to the cashier. Oh well, next time I’ll remember to give it to them.
Do not lose this or your life is over.
With this hassle, cans and plastic bottles are some of the least recycled products in Sweden, at least by those who drank the contents.
See, Swedes would rather not go through this hassle, and instead typically toss them in the nearest public bin for others to rummage through and eventually make a killing on their bags of cans.
I’m not throwing away items that could be recycled, I’m creating jobs, thinks a Swede.
In fact, digging through the trash grew so large that Uppsala has now replaced normal trash cans with these industry beasts throughout the center of the city!
Nice Swedes place their cans in these “can containers” (on the left) so that “pickers” can more easily reach and recycle them without leaving trash all over the ground. The city installed these bear proof solar trash compactors….politically for multiple reasons, but in truth, so pickers aren’t able to continue littering the street while digging for cans.
In private areas, like housing/apartment complexes, there are locked rooms around the neighborhoods where people divide their recyclables, so that pickers can’t weed through the trash looking for them while creating a mess.
About once a month I’m stopped entering my apartment by unfamiliar people asking me to open the recycling room for them.
If cans and plastic bottles didn’t have this monetary recycle value, then people wouldn’t go rummaging through the trash, and then the recycle/trash rooms wouldn’t need to be locked.
But apparently it’s either cheaper or easier to just install solar powered trash compactors that are bear proof throughout the city. No one is getting into my rubbish bin, claims the city! (Disclaimer: Not literally said by the city)
One of several found along the Fyris river; downtown Uppsala.
On one hand, Swedes recycle a lot, so why wouldn’t they recycle cans/plastic bottles? On the other, people living on the street can earn money in a legal way by finding and recycling the cans. And are often seen at major events approaching people asking for their cans.
Morning after Valborg 2012 in Uppsala. No cans, but plenty of broken glass bottles. Maybe there should be a cash reward for recycling glass!
Do you think that the aluminum cans and plastic bottles should have this 1kr surcharge or does it create more issues (i.e. recycling them is just easier)?
Swedish Traveling, Culture & More Adventures 