20
tons/day
designed collection capacity
The brief
Hammarby Sjöstad is a former industrial area and harbour converted into a modern city district that has become a flagship environmental project incorporating and showcasing the latest in smart and sustainable technologies.
After an environmental programme was drawn up for Hammarby, including rigorous sustainability targets and the most innovative environmental solutions as part of what would later become known as the ‘Hammarby Model’, Envac was appointed to demonstrate the value that pneumatic waste collection (also known as AWCS) add to a contemporary urban environment.
4
separate waste fractions
Food, Paper, Residual and Street litter.
Some areas have also added a Plastic fraction.
770
waste inlets
conveniently located across the area for easy disposal
12,700
apartments
connected
The automated waste collection systems used within Hammarby Sjöstad have greatly contributed to the fulfilment of the district’s environmental goals, notably by increasing recycling and reducing heavy traffic. They have also impressed and inspired thousands of national and international visitors to Hammarby.
Karin Wanngård (S) Mayor of Stockholm
The Hammarby Model
A fundamental part of Hammarby Sjöstad’s success lies in its integrated environmental strategy, known as the Hammarby Model. This system interconnects energy, water, and waste management, ensuring that resources are continually recycled and reused.
Wastewater from the district is purified and used to generate biogas, which in turn provides energy for cooking and heating. Solar panels and district heating further reduce reliance on fossil fuels, contributing to the area’s low carbon footprint. Rainwater and greywater are carefully managed to prevent pollution from entering the surrounding waterways, ensuring a clean and sustainable aquatic ecosystem.
The development has welcomed over ten thousand architects, local authorities, developers and planners from around the world, visiting Hammarby to draw inspiration from the city’s ability to fuse function and style with practicality and sustainability.
From biofuel and biogas to district heating and rainwater management, Hammarby illustrates what can be achieved through the successful integration of technology and the cooperation of local government and technology providers.
Envac in Hammarby
Five Envac systems currently serve the Hammarby community: three stationary systems that serve Norra Hammarbyhamnen, Hammarby Gård and Henriksdal/Lugnet and two mobile systems serving Sickla and Fredriksdal.
The systems have been collecting waste at certain locations and across three fractions including general waste, food waste and paper and street litter since the first system became operational in 2000. Today, a plastic fraction is also being tested in some areas.
However, it is the scale at which Envac will operate on completion – and its ability to complement and integrate with other sustainable technologies – that has captured the imagination of a global population.
The Result
As a result of Envac’s inclusion Hammarby has:
- Beaten its waste collection vehicle reduction target – Hammarby’s Envac system has since reduced on site collection vehicles by 60 per cent.
- Demonstrated how effective collaboration between local authorities, cleansing departments, water companies and energy companies can deliver effective eco-cities.
- Reduced the total amount of recyclable and waste material by 20 per cent in weight.
- Demonstrated the planning and design gains achieved by not having to plan for waste collection vehicles and bin management at each house.
- Created a flagship model for sustainable development that continues to attract worldwide attention.