The installation in the Olympic Village in 1992 represented a breakthrough for automated vacuum waste collection, not just in Barcelona but throughout Spain. Since the inauguration of Envac’s first system in Barcelona, it has been visited by thousands of decision makers from around the world. The great interest attracted by the installations has contributed to Envac’s expansion and to establishing Barcelona’s profile as a successful futuristic and environmentally conscious metropolis. The first system has been in continuous operation since its installation in 1992. It has also been expanded several times.
Only the Olympic Village
The Villa Olímpica installation was originally planned to solely serve the Olympic Village residential area. Gradually small shops and shopping centres have been added to the same areas. Initially, 241 inlets were installed in the area, which handled a single waste fraction from the 2,900 dwellings.
In 2000, comprehensive regeneration projects commenced in the area around the Olympic Village. Old warehouse premises and small factories in the port were converted to a shore-side residential area of so-called tertiary nature, which was named Front Maritim. At the same time, work began on the first expansion of the vacuum system, connecting to these new residential buildings.
The first extension
During this development, the number of inlets increased from 241 to 480, and the capacity was also increased to enable the system to collect organic waste through separate inlets. The collection station was expanded by an additional cyclone, a compactor and a diverter valve. The newly connected Front Marítim area now comprises of 4,600 homes.
The second extension
In 2009, the City of Barcelona (Ayuntamiento de Barcelona) decided to further expand the waste disposal system’s admission zone. The existing installations had reached their maximum capacity, and there was space around the station for expansion. The station was converted to a double station with four cyclones, two for each fraction, and now has an admission zone of 16,000 dwellings.
The development project in the area continues in 2010. More work remains to be done, for example on the pipe network and on some of the collection points.
Besides the system at Villa Olímpica, Barcelona has six more automated waste disposal systems in operation, of which one is a double system. There are also two more systems under development and two in the planning stage.
In 2002, the city was the first in the world with a development plan for vacuum waste collection, and serve as a good example for other towns and cities when it comes to the planning and management of the infrastructure and the environment.