08/07/2010
Press release

The City of Stockholm installs the first self-emptying litter bins

Overflowing litter bins on squares and in parks are not particularly unusual sights at this time of year. The rubbish around litter bins is a problem, and it can attract both rats and birds. The problem is that we are consuming more and more pre-packaged food. Street and park cleaning staff quite simply lack the time to empty all litter bins when they are full.
Self-emptying litter bin from Envac in Almere, Holland

However, the City of Stockholm has now decided to solve the problem using modern technology.

Mariatorget in the district Södermalm in Stockholm is the first urban square in Sweden to install a vacuum system from Envac. Six self-emptying litter bins will be placed on the square.

It was in April this year that the City of Stockholm invited tenders for a vacuum system to improve the environment in Mariatorget. Envac was awarded the contract to supply the specially-adapted system on the basis of its earlier experiences from the Nissan Strand residential area in Halmstad, Sweden and Almere city centre in the Netherlands.

The self-emptying litter bins are based on Envac’s vacuum technology. The litter bins, which are permanently accessible, are connected to a system of underground pipes around Mariatorget. Several times a day, the waste from the litter bins is transported to a collection point using vacuum technology. Here, the litter accumulates in a large container that is collected and transported away when it is full.

“The new vacuum system at Mariatorget means that the litter bins can easily be emptied twenty times a day if necessary instead of the current two times. In the future, people living in the area may also be able to connect into the system," says Ulla Hamilton (m)
in an article from the City of Stockholm.

The work in the square is planned to start in mid-September and will be completed before the end of 2010.

 

For more information, please contact:
Jonas Törnblom, Director of Marketing and Communication Envac AB by e-mail or telephone: +46 (0)70 246 18 44
or
Joakim Karlsson, Executive Vice President, Envac Scandinavia AB by e-mail or telephone: +46 (0)70 546 13 55