This Italian region now has Europe’s highest Tibetan bridge
It’s not for the faint-hearted
The city will manage this innovative waste disposal system on its own, and it surprises us that it is not more widespread already on a European level
Did you know that Stockholm has an underground waste collection system, which uses air pressure and tubes to blast trash bags quickly and efficiently from disposal point to collection point? It’s something almost out of a sci-fi flick, and it’s called an automated waste collection system (AWCS).
ENVAC, the company behind the innovation points out that the benefits are substantial when compared to traditional waste management systems that still mostly abound in our cities. Apart from removing the eyesore of overflowing trash bins, it’s the urban environment that gets direct benefits in several ways thanks to drastically shortened and optimized garbage truck routes.
People bring their pre-sorted trash, packed in bags to the vacuum bins and dispose of them. Then, the stationary pneumatic refuse system transports the waste long distances through pipes to a collection station, where the refuse is compacted in sealed containers.
To transport the waste, the system uses air generated by fans that create negative pressure in the pipe system. The air enters the pipes at atmospheric pressure, traps the solid waste and conveys it to the collection station.
A stationary pneumatic refuse collection system can handle multiple types of waste concurrently, using one refuse chute for each separate waste stream. Typically, two to four separate waste streams are handled in the same transport pipe network.
At the collection station, each waste stream is directed to a designated container. Collecting each waste type separately prevents any risk of mixing waste and recyclables.
The air used for pushing the trash bags through the tubes is then filtered out before being released back into the atmosphere. Garbage trucks then finally come into play to service the collection station, but considering that most of their work has already been done by the power of air pressure, their routes are shortened and optimized leading to reduced noise pollution, traffic and CO2 emissions.
ENVAC reported that the City of Stockholm has taken a keen interest in gradually taking over the management of the AWCS and start treating it as a utility service on par with water and sewage.
The municipality’s wastewater and waste management company, Stockholm Vatten och Avfall, will start to take responsibility for the systems during the coming years. This means that private housing associations, housing companies, pre-schools and commercial operators no longer need to be responsible for ownership and maintenance of AWCS installed in their property.
Aside from easing the administrative burden of managing and installing AWCS, the move means that further installations specified in the city’s detailed plan will be much more straightforward and can be managed to coincide with other major excavation works.
What are the reasons for that and are there any possible solutions for that problem?
Possibly making it the only legislature in the world with a religious temple on-site
It’s not for the faint-hearted
Presenting the next chapter in the Dutch capital’s ‘Stay Away’ campaign aimed at rowdy tourists
The City says this has become a necessity due to the increasing number of incidents involving these vehicles
That way you can notify a canal lock keeper to open the gates so the animals can swim through
The organizers had been considering different Parisian spots, but always with the idea of the flame being visible to the people
Electricity production in that Eastern European country will not release direct CO2 emissions anymore
Possibly making it the only legislature in the world with a religious temple on-site
This initiative is not just about making books more accessible – it has larger ambitions in its sights
We owe the unusual cultural icon to this country in Europe
The country’s capital has been a pioneer in crafting policy and initiatives to improve coexistence between people and pets
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
Catch up with some recommendations for the 2024 European Capital of Culture programme from the mayor of Tartu
An interview with the ICLEI regional director for Europe аfter the close of COP28
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team