I’ve never seen empty beer cans treated so gently as here in Sweden! It is amazing! In the States, people will smash cans on their heads (…more the frat boy type of guy that I don’t usually hang out with), throw them on the ground to get unmercifully trampled, or even purposefully step on them and wedge them on their shoes to make a sort of slippery skate. When you consider the steep price of alcohol in Sweden, though, that recycling refund starts to look pretty significant.
For anyone unfamiliar with the system, SystemBolaget is the state-run liquor store that sells beverages with a alcohol content of over 3.5%. The 3.5% and lower you can get in supermarkets. The store has quite a good selection but requires passports for those of us who look too young, as I awkwardly discovered the other afternoon when trying to stock up on tasty European beer. I’m trying to take it as a compliment. Honestly, what 17 year old is going to appreciate triple Chimay? It is interesting though, that the drinking age changes depending on the location. For example, you can buy alcohol in clubs when you are 18, but cannot purchase it in SystemBolaget until you are 20.
