The first thing I saw at last year’s Vappu in Helsinki was a girl in a party dress on all fours licking a puddle of beer. Hard to top that ha and this time around I felt less fazed seeing guys topple over to bloody concussions and leggy blondes hunch over & hold each others’ hair on every block. This year I hooked up with the Helsinki Public Works Department to understand how the City cleans the hot mess so quickly. Vappu brings out the slob in everyone and not only are there broken bottles, vomit splatters, deflated balloons, and the occasional lone sock, but there’s a lot of post-boozin’ food residue: pizza boxes, burger wrappers, coffee cups, and surprisingly healthier fare. I’m kind of charmed that someone got trashed and ate a yogurt ha. District gardener Sampo Sainio enlightened me on the process that turns Helsinki so fresh and so clean by Monday:

Number of employees on the clock:
12 on Friday night
10 on Saturday morning
22 (plus 40 volunteers) on Saturday night
30 on Sunday

Total cost:
Likely exceeding 100,000 euros (last year’s cleanup cost 121,000 euros), which includes rent for:
184 toilets
40 waste containers (240 litres each)
75 waste containers (3.6 cubic meters each)
16 trash pallets (8 cubic meters each)
4 containers for bottles (8 cubic meters each)
waste charges
fences
man hours cleaning streets and parks

Total amount of trash collected:
Over 250 cubic meters (9,000 cubic feet), including around 24,000 sparkling wine bottles!