Sustainable future for waste collection

Streets lined with open containers and hefty collection trucks are the images that have defined the waste collection process. In the past 100 years, little has been done to modify the substantial pollution and hygiene problems posed by this dated method.

But since 1961, the Swedish company Envac has been developing a sustainable alternative through an automated underground waste collection system that has been adopted by the world's most environmentally progressive cities in over 30 countries.

The revolutionary system has attracted considerable attention in China as Envac has signed a cooperation agreement with the city of Guangzhou and earned key projects in Hong Kong, Shanghai, and Beijing.

"We have a footprint in China, but this is just the beginning. We would like to create more governmental partnerships in the region. We hope this will be the standard in China's new and developing cities - areas looking to adopt the most modern technology," said President and CEO Christer Ojdemark.

Envac's solution is a fully enclosed underground vacuum system wherein waste is disposed through indoor or outdoor inlets linked together by a network of underground pipes. Each inlet is attributed to a specific type of waste, acting as a source-sorting recycling method. Computers then switch on a vacuum, sucking waste through the pipes to a central collection station, where refuse is packed into sealed containers and ready for transport.

As a result, quality of life is enhanced in these areas by reducing motor transport emissions and eliminating the need for large, unsightly waste containers.

Envac's waste collection system is positioned to become a fully integrated part of modern urban planning around the world. "We see this as part of the infrastructure in the construction of new areas in the same way as sewage, water, and electricity," said Ojdemark.

Already present in nearly 700 installations worldwide, this clean and environmentally sound system is quickly becoming a staple in modern urban development.

www.envac.net

(China Daily 03/02/2009 page6)