Brunnshög

Brunnshög offers four waste fractions via pneumatic waste collection, with the aim that no more than 50 metres is needed to reach a waste inlet from the entrances. In addition, there is property-close collection within approximately 200–300 metres of each property.

Location: Lund, Sweden
Client: Lund Municipality
Segment: Cities

About Brunnshög

Brunnshög in north‑eastern Lund is one of Sweden’s most ambitious initiatives for sustainable urban development. Once the area is completed, around 40,000 people will live and work here, in a district built around world‑leading research facilities and smart infrastructure.

At the heart of this is a modern pneumatic waste collection system, defined as a prerequisite in the local development plans – a solution that reduces heavy traffic, frees up space and makes it easier to achieve ambitious climate and recycling targets. Brunnshög is intended to serve as a model for how waste can be managed resource‑efficiently in a dense, modern urban district.

The waste collection system connects the entire area, enabling large‑scale opportunities for efficient collection, a healthy working environment and reduced traffic load.

How waste management works in Brunnshög

4 waste fractions via pneumatic waste collection, with the aim that no more than 50 metres should be required to reach a waste inlet from the entrances.
The waste from the system is transported in underground pipes directly to a waste collection terminal, instead of refuse trucks regularly driving in among residential buildings and pedestrian and cycle paths.
In addition, there is property-close collection within approximately 200–300 metres of each property.
Supplementary collection of, among other things, lightbulbs and small electronics is provided via the well-known “Samlaren” unit in the Hemköp store.
By combining the pneumatic waste collection system with deep collection containers and plans for collection points for bulky material, Lund aims to meet the FNI requirements in a simple and flexible way.

Brunnshög Contract 2.0: higher recycling and reduced residual waste

Lund’s Sanitation Department has clear targets linked to both waste volumes and sorting rates. The amount of waste per inhabitant is to be reduced by 35 percent between 2013 and 2030, which means the volume needs to be down to 401 kg per inhabitant by 2026. At the same time, the share of recyclable material in residual waste is to be reduced to 48 percent by 2026.

Brunnshög is one of the most important areas for achieving these targets. Through Brunnshög Contract 2.0, the municipality has set the bar high: residents of Brunnshög are to have lower waste volumes and a higher sorting rate than the average in Lund.

The pneumatic waste collection system is a key tool in achieving this, as it combines simple, nearby and structured collection with the ability to monitor flows and work in a data‑driven way with improvements.

Transport pipe for waste going in the terminal

Why a pneumatic waste collection system in Brunnshög?

For Lund’s Sanitation Department and the City of Lund, the choice of pneumatic waste collection in Brunnshög is about more than just efficient logistics.

It makes Brunnshög a clear example of how waste systems can be planned as critical infrastructure from the outset – just like water, electricity and heating – instead of something that is solved ad hoc afterwards.

By collecting waste via a pneumatic system, cleaner courtyards are created, with fewer visible bins and containers, less noise, and better accessibility for walking and cycling – factors that are crucial in a dense, mixed-use urban district.

Envacs part in Brunnshög

In Brunnshög, Envac is delivering the pneumatic waste collection system that forms the backbone of the new district’s waste management. The system is integrated into the local development plan from the outset and is being expanded in stages as the area grows.

Today, the installation comprises a central pneumatic waste collection terminal designed for 4 waste fractions (for example residual waste, food waste, paper packaging and plastic packaging) and a network of underground pipes that is gradually connecting the different blocks in Brunnshög.

By phasing out traditional collection by refuse truck within the blocks and instead transporting the waste in closed pipes, Envac’s system creates the conditions for:

cleaner and safer courtyard environments
reduced heavy traffic on residential streets
better accessibility for walking, cycling and public transport
a more attractive, mixed-use urban environment

The system is cross-property and mandatory in the area, which means that housing, businesses and public buildings are gradually being connected to the same infrastructure.

When Brunnshög is fully developed, the system is expected to serve up to approximately 5,000 apartments (up from around 1,500 today) and a large number of workplaces.

Envac is responsible for the design, delivery and commissioning of the pneumatic waste collection system, as well as for ongoing technical development and adaptation as new blocks are connected. This is carried out in close cooperation with the City of Lund and Lund’s Sanitation Department, to ensure that the system supports the municipality’s objectives in Brunnshög Contract 2.0 and future requirements for municipal collection of packaging.

The pneumatic waste collection installation in Brunnshög is therefore not just a technical system, but an important part of the overarching infrastructure that makes it possible to achieve higher sorting rates, lower amounts of residual waste and an attractive, sustainable urban district over time.

Brunnshög as a reference for future urban districts

With Brunnshög, Lund is demonstrating how a growing, knowledge-intensive district can combine dense development, world-leading research, high sustainability ambitions and a modern, integrated pneumatic waste collection system.

For more information about our systems and solutions for cities, rural areas and property-close collection, read more here or contact us today!

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