Sidcon may be expanding in the Netherlands, but on the international market too, cities have started discovering our underground compactors. Increasingly, Sidcon compactors are becoming part of the street scene in places like Cannes, Copenhagen and Bergen (in Norway). Each of these “smart cities” involved attach a great deal of value to a modern, efficient and sustainable way of collecting waste. And whilst these cities all share this common value, the thinking behind it is very different.
Cannes: from six times a day to just twice a week
Every summer Cannes gets inundated with tourists and visitors to the French Riviera leading to huge increases in waste flows. At peak times, in the past refuse collection trucks were having to drive up and down the busy Rue Félix Faure six times a day to empty all the large waste containers. With the installation of our compactors the municipality has been able to cut these collections back to just twice a week. In Rue Félix Faure, Cannes´ iconic film boulevard, there are now four Presstations Pro in place which allow up to ten times more waste capacity: two for general household waste and two for plastics and recyclable packaging. This has brought about huge savings for the municipality in terms of transport, as well as significantly less inconvenience in a street which is packed with popular restaurants. Their installation, carried out in partnership with Vconsyst France, is a national premiere for Cannes. Reason enough for its enthusiast mayor, David Lisnard, to officially introduce the first compactor for use in the city against a festive backdrop.
Bergen: cost savings due to fewer collections
Things are slightly less busy in Norway, but there, longer pick-up distances for waste collection mean higher collection costs. For that reason, in 2018, the city of Bergen opted to install Presstation Pros. Having ten times more waste capacity and fewer collections was the major appeal for the municipality. As a result, Norwegian waste-collection companies now need to make fewer journeys. Not only does this mean big cost savings, it is more efficient and considerably more sustainable with fewer carbon emissions too. BIR AS is responsible for the waste collection of 360,000 citizens in Bergen and eight other neighbouring municipalities. Sidcon supplied and installed the compactors for general household waste and packaging in collaboration with Norway-based Stromberg Plast. Use of the same Metro design for the pillars created an attractive uniform appearance.
Copenhagen: disposing of low-threshold waste
In Copenhagen, underground Presstation Pros for residual waste were purchased by FSB, a housing cooperative. Since being installed, residents in surrounding apartment blocks have been able to dispose of their waste much more efficiently. The municipality of Copenhagen empties the container once a week. At this point they are, on average, eighty percent full. Without the internal compaction system, the cooperative would otherwise need four containers, or waste collections would have to be much more frequent. The waste is now compacted automatically as soon as a sensor detects sufficient volume. In this way municipalities can cut back on the number of containers.
Smart Cities
Whereas these countries are still getting accustomed to the system, Sidcon has already been making major inroads on the Dutch market. Cities such as Amsterdam and Utrecht have installed hundreds of underground compactors in their public spaces. “Underground containers for the collection of household waste are widespread in the Netherlands. The idea is really quite simple: a stylishly designed pillar for waste disposal above the ground and a concealed container under the pavement. They are a common feature on streets throughout the Netherlands. Nevertheless, the compactor version is a relatively new innovation,” explains managing director Reinier Siderius. Sidcon underground compactors fit in with the principle of Smart Cities. Their smart technology can help improve the quality of life in cities. The fill-level of the container, peak times, number of drops, for example, are monitored by sensors automatically and all data can be read remotely. In combination with a route optimisation system, containers can be efficiently emptied, avoiding unnecessary trips or waste overflows because the container is full. The streets remain clean and tidy. The pillars are aesthetically designed and can also be adapted to the colour and branding of existing street furniture. The container itself is hidden from view underground and is safeguarded by means of an automatic “trapdoor opening” during emptying operations. One special feature of the Presstation Pro is that it is bottom-emptying. This means that the container can be emptied directly above the waste collection truck so that most waste can be removed in just one journey. The bottom-emptying compactor is an invention of Sidcon and is patent-protected.
