I rarely see people begging for money in the Nordic region, but in summer there are always a few. So last weekend in Copenhagen I saw a number of people begging – but most of these people had changed their business model from the previous year.

In the Scandinavian countries cans and bottles can be returned to a supermarket for between 0.08 and 0.47 AUD a piece (0.50 SEK to 2 DKK) depending on size and country. I take my bottles to the supermarket because I like the idea of recycling, but I find the process of saving bottles up and then carrying them to the supermarket inconvenient.

Last weekend people were hanging around areas where people like to drink (eg. Nyhavn), and as people finished their drinks offered to take away the ‘rubbish’.

As someone who will carry a bottle around for a day looking for a recycling bin I appreciated the convenience. And as someone who doesn’t like the look of litter appreciated the service.

The people were polite – waiting until you had finished your drink before approaching you and thanking you when you gave them the used receptacle.

Many people here don’t like being asked for money when the government already takes so much and provides such high levels of social welfare. But no one seemed to have problems with people asking for their used bottles.