We’ve all heard about the issue of waste caused by disposable soda bottles and cans. Under Soviet rule, they had this efficient, if slightly stomach-turning solution: the communal cup soda fountain. There’s only one glass cup, and everyone uses it. When you’re done, you place it on the right side, upside-down, and it’s cleaned by jets of water, ready for the next thirsty person that comes along.

I should be clear that, to the best of my knowledge, the countries formerly under the U.S.S.R. don’t use this system anymore. The only reason I came across it was because one was in a statue park, where the communist-era monuments depicting Stalin, Lenin et al were gathered, along with other Soviet miscellany after their empire collapsed. The soda machine has been kept running, I assume, as a reminder of those times.

My girlfriend snapped a photo of it when she was in Lithuania a couple of years ago. Her brother (pictured) was the only one brave enough to drink from it, though in effect I suppose it’s no worse than drinking from a cup in a restaurant.

Tags: fun