The system will be installed as part of a regeneration programme for the area and is set to handle waste from 10,000 new homes and material produced by the occupants of 75,000m² of retail space.
The Envac method works using an underground pipe system. Waste can be deposited by householders at various points throughout a development. The points – also known as inlets – are connected to the main waste pipe and, when full, a fan system can be turned on to push the waste to a centralised waste station. All waste can then be collected, in this case by Southwark council's contractor Veolia Environmental Services, from the waste station.
Envac installed the UK's first underground vacuum waste development system at the Wembley City housing development last year (see letsrecycle.com story).
Julian Gaylor, managing director of Envac UK, said the company's underground system had been chosen for the Elephant & Castle scheme because it would help the project achieve its “high sustainability goals” by reducing vehicle movements on the site and encouraging separation of waste streams.
Clinton Climate Initiative
The Elephant & Castle project is supported by former US President Bill Clinton's Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) and has been chosen to be one of 16 Climate Positive Development Program projects worldwide.
The Program has been set up to support the development of large-scale urban projects that aim to demonstrate that cities can grow in ways that are “climate positive.” 'Climate Positive' developments are committed to strive to reduce their on-site CO2 emissions to below zero.
The Program requires property developers and local government to agree to work together on economically viable building innovations, the generation of clean energy, waste management, water management, and transportation and outdoor lighting systems.
The Elephant & Castle project lies in a 170-acre regeneration opportunity area within the London Borough of Southwark. The £1.5 billion development aims to create a new district for Central London, to include thousands of new homes together with a retail development, new park, tree-lined streets, green open spaces and market. It is expected to be complete by 2016.
Edinburgh
Mr Gaylor also told letsrecycle.com that Envac was also in talks with Edinburgh city council about retro-fitting the system underneath one of the city's main thoroughfares – Princes Street.
He said that there was also interest from Glasgow about using the Envac technology to transport waste generated by the Commonwealth Games which is being held in the city in 2014. In is also in talks with a developer in Belfast about providing a waste solution for 12,000 new homes on the docks in the city.
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