Waste management solution for the city centre

⛶i

A long time ago, Aarhus City Council decided that private waste must no longer be left on public land, including the waste collection points set up in many locations in the city centre.
A decision has now been taken to install a number of underground waste bins around the city.

Originally, the idea was to remove rubbish entirely from public spaces, and the rubbish collection points were only set up as a temporary solution, after the Health and Safety at Work Act made it impossible for refuse collectors to haul rubbish up from the old chutes in the buildings.

A former councillor had proposed a waste suction system covering the entire city centre, but this proved to be too costly. Instead, the plan was for each property to set up its own approved waste system that the waste collection company could use.

Options included creating level-access entry to courtyards, lift systems to the basement, small vacuum systems with a tank in the basement, and, finally, major alterations to make room for a bin on the façade of, for example, the small townhouses in Frederiksbjerg.
The last of these options, in particular, caused quite a bit of anger in the area (where people apparently prefer to look at rubbish left on the street), and there was also an outcry over the high costs these solutions entailed.

Following a residents’ meeting on the matter (a meeting that went down in history as the ‘rubbish meeting’), the officials went back to the drawing board.
The result was a proposal for underground bins, a proposal that has now been approved and implemented.

The bins are to be used for general waste, paper and glass, and will typically be installed in pairs. One for general household waste and one for either paper or glass. Batteries and small electronic items must also be able to be disposed of.
This solution will therefore replace all the waste collection points and bins currently located around the town centre.

The waste containers will be paid for by users in the area who wish to join the scheme. In addition, all the town’s residents will pay a contribution, as it is expected (and intended) that the containers will also be used for waste from passers-by.

The scheme will be rolled out during 2007 and 2008, starting shortly in Frederiksbjerg.