Quintain starts recycling revolution at Wembley City

Article adapted from Building Sustainability.  To view article click here

The UK’s first automated waste collection system where rubbish is sucked from homes via underground pipes to a central collection point was switched on last month.

The system, made by Swedish specialist Envac, has been installed at developer Quintain’s mixed-use Wembley City scheme adjacent to Wembley stadium in London. Residents are moving into the first completed building on the 34ha scheme and have been using a conventional waste collection service until today.

The Envac system which is already in use in 30 other countries, has been implemented by Quintain at Wembley City to stimulate high levels of recycling and keep the district clean by frequently removing rubbish, whilst reducing refuse lorry miles by up to 90%. As a result, rubbish collection through Envac from Wembley City will generate around 400 fewer tonnes of CO2 a year than it would by conventional refuse collection.

The building features a courtyard containing three collection points. Each collection point has three separate chutes which look similar to a post box. Residents separate their waste into three streams, organic material, recyclable items including glass, paper and plastic and non recyclable waste. The waste is placed in each chute through a door similar to a washing machine where it drops into a holding point.

Periodically the accumulated waste is sucked through underground pipes at speeds up to 70km/hr to the central collection point. Waste can be sucked from up to 2km away from the central collection point. The waste is sucked into a compactor before being deposited into a lorry sized container. These are collected by the council’s waste contractor.

Nick Shattock, Deputy Chief Executive of Quintain,said: “Our aim is to make Wembley City a highly advanced new district for London by embedding technologies that won’t be found on other schemes for around five years. Envac is the first such system we’re launching and the aim is to make waste management clean, quick, and efficient and significantly reduce its impact on the environment.”

Quintain say that the system eliminates refuse trucks on the development which cuts carbon emissions and improves the physical environment. It also says the costs of the system are offset by space saved on bin storage and handling.
According to Quintain, the system offers both developers and local authorities the opportunity to improve and enhance local environments, reduce emissions and increase efficiencies by collecting waste more often for less cost.

For more information see the Quintain website

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