DEBBIE FLEVOTOMOU
ARCHITECTS
London is set to become home to one of the largest automated
waste collection systems (AWCS) in Europe after Barking Riverside
Limited, a joint venture between London & Quadrant (L&Q) and
the Mayor of London, selected Envac to handle the waste of almost
10,000 homes at Barking Riverside London.
The move will see up to 460 Envac waste inlets installed instead
of the 19,000 traditional bins that would have been required had
AWCS not been selected – a reduction of almost 98 per cent in
containers.
Two waste fractions, residual and mixed recycling, will be collected
via the waste inlets, which will be conveniently situated near
people’s homes. Once the inlets are full, or at pre-programmed
emptying times, fans located at the collection station create a
negative airflow, ‘sucking’ waste at speeds of over 40mph through
a subterranean pipe network measuring 15km in length.