Fewer waste issues thanks to underground compactors

The waste collector in the Dutch city of ’s-Hertogenbosch chose Sidcon’s underground compactor back in 2008. And with good reason: today, the streets of this municipality feature 45 underground compactors, 30 of which are used for plastic packaging.

Plastic waste is easy to compact

In 2008, municipalities in the Netherlands were faced with the introduction of separate plastic waste collection. Tycho Spruyt, operations manager at the waste collection service, witnessed the shift up close. “The municipality of ’s-Hertogenbosch quickly opted for Sidcon’s underground container. Expected volume issues were the deciding factor. No one really knew how often a container would need emptying, because we’d never collected this waste separately. But we did know: it’s mostly air. So we preferred an innovative solution, because you simply can’t keep adding more containers,” says Spruyt.

No one is happy about 5 above-ground containers

Spruyt explains that the municipality mainly focused on high-waste locations when making their choices. “Plastic has the downside of being light in weight but bulky in volume. If you want to collect it properly in busy areas, you’d need at least 5 above-ground containers. No one wants that, and it also ruins the streetscape.”

“The initial investment may be higher. But if you can save more than 5 containers and drastically reduce the collection frequency, yes, then it’s absolutely worth it!”

''Sidcon’s underground compactors are equipped with a smart system that tells us exactly when to empty them.''

Less litter thanks to underground compactors

The municipality of ’s-Hertogenbosch has seen another benefit of underground compactors. “Above-ground collection tends to attract more litter. Believe it or not, if someone leaves just one bag next to the container, there’s a whole pile by the end of the day, even when none of the containers are full! Sidcon’s underground compactors are equipped with a smart system that tells us exactly when to empty them. That helps prevent this kind of littering.”

“The same system also monitors for malfunctions. That way, Sidcon handles service and breakdowns directly. Sometimes we weren’t even aware of an issue before Sidcon had already fixed it.”