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Block of flats where rubbish is sucked away in underground tubes
Mark Prigg11 Feb 2009
Londoners in a new housing development have started using a hi-tech waste disposal system that sees their rubbish shot through an underground tunnel at 50mph.
Residents at Wembley City have three small recycling bins built into their kitchen cupboard, for non-recycling waste, dry recyclables, and organic waste.
Dry recyclables include glass, plastic bottles and paper.
They empty these bins into three corresponding chutes at the base of the building and once the chutes are full, the rubbish is dropped into a tunnel below.
Giant fans then create a vacuum effect, sending the rubbish bags through underground tunnels up to 1km long to a central collection building where the waste is removed by the council.
If trials are successful, the tunnels could be used across the capital to allow housing estates to recycle easily, without having to employ staff to collect rubbish.
It could also provide a solution to the problem of encouraging recycling in tower blocks where collecting waste is a problem.
Currently 286 apartments in one block use the system, with plans to expand it to all 10,000 apartments in the development when they are completed.
The Envac system, which was designed in Sweden and is already used in Disneyland, transports the rubbish through a series of underground pipes before collecting the entire development's waste at a central collection building.
From there, it can be sent for recycling as normal by the local authority.
"This is a very novel approach, but it has been working very well," said James Saunders, managing director of commercial ventures at Quintain, which is building the development.
"This system cuts the number of vehicles we need by 90 per cent, as they simply visit the central waste building every few days, rather than having to drive around the development.
"At the moment the rubbish doesn't travel very far, but as we add new buildings to the scheme, we think it will work at distances of up to 1km."
Joakim Karlsson, managing director of Envac's UK operations, said: "The Envac system will help Quintain reduce pollution, including unpleasant odours, noise and traffic-related problems and also encourage the sorting and recycling of waste.
"Like the other areas in which this system has been installed, Wembley should become a cleaner, tidier and healthier place to live."
Residents will also have access to the fastest internet connections in a British home.
The 100Mb connections allow residents to download films or TV shows in a few minutes, and are also used to provide TV channels and phone services.
Users can choose to sign up when they move in, and pay a monthly charge for standard speeds of up to 32Mb per second.
However, by pressing a "boost" button, they can access super-fast 100Mb speeds at a cost of £1 per half hour.
Reader views (11)
Might be a good way to get rid of all the stray cats and dogs that seem to populate the area, messing on all the footpaths!
- Bob Barnes, Alicante, Espana., 16/09/2009 16:01
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Has anyone noticed that the more hi-tech, labour saving solutions that are brought into play, at the same time as the population looking for work is increasing, there are more jobs being taken out of the system? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that there are going to be a lot of bored/disgruntled/discarded people out there - but oh, they're already there aren't they! Just think of all the mischief these unemployed/unappreciated/un-needed people can get up to.... or don't bother thinking and just read the headlines every day to see it in print.
Sometimes it's hard not to be cynical of 'progress'. Lud may well have had a point after all!
- Rogan, Irving, 12/02/2009 07:33
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I use a similar system every day to get to work, a tunnel that loads of rubbish flies around at high speed, and even better they run trains down it as well, beat that wembley!!
- Brian, Wiltshire, 11/02/2009 17:29
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They should install one of these at the Houses of Parliament, and invite suggestions as to which MPS should be sucked away first.
- John Jones, Westminster, 11/02/2009 17:10
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I have used the system at Wembley,and i can see the system works fantastically well.The waste is sucked away twice per day so we don't get foul smelling bins like our once per fortnight neighbours! Roll it out everywhere,it works!
- Ivor Taylor, London, 11/02/2009 16:31
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how will "pay as you throw" work with this?
- Jeremy E, London, 11/02/2009 15:50
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How ecologically responsible of them to develop some nice rat breeding tunnels under the housing
- Ag, The Village of London, 11/02/2009 14:16
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Now all we need to do is trick Mr Brown into one.
- Serox, london, 11/02/2009 13:23
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This technology isn't new. They tried this in Lisson Green Estate (Marylebone) back in the 70's and what they didn't anticpiate was your average chav lobbing motorcycle engines, kittens and other such "non recyclables" clogging up the system. Suffice it to say the system was scrapped and replaced with conventional bins after huge expense.
- Albert Swift, Aberdeen, Scotland, 11/02/2009 12:55
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Any chance they can install one of these devices in the Commons? On Labours' side of the benches of course. David Smith, Cannes
- David Smith, Cannes, France, 11/02/2009 12:42
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loads of rubbish shot through tunnels at 50mph? Sounds like the Victoria line at 11pm on a Saturday night!
- Gary, amersham, 11/02/2009 11:08
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