This is an English translation of article in

This is an English translation of article
in Kuntatekniikka magazine about
underground waste handling
Original Finnish version can be read at:
http://lehti.kuntatekniikka.fi/sites/default/files/KT0412PDF-WWW-LQ.pdf
This article has originally been published in Finnish in
Kuntatekniikka-Magazine 4/2012, pp. 24-26.
The new system will consume less energy and it is easier to install
VUORES WASTE TO AN UNDERGROUND PIPE
A pipe-based waste
collection system will be
built in Vuores, Tampere
Finland. It represents
a new infrastructure
implemented with new
technology.
Simo Isoaho, Development
Manager, Tampere Regional Solid
Waste Management Ltd. (Pirkanmaan Jätehuolto Oy)
The builder of the pipe
system is Pirkan Putkikeräys Oy,
established in 2010, a subsidiary
of Tampere Regional Solid
Waste Management Ltd. The
supplier of the pipeline and the
equipment for the waste station
and collection points is MariMatic
Oy, a Finnish company.
The project is an extensive
one and involves several players.
It will also necessitate the
development of new design and
building competence.
A collection point being installed on 22 June 2011.
THIS IS HOW THE VUORES WASTE SYSTEM WORKS
1. Residents sort out the waste
into four feeding points at the
collection point: biowaste, paper,
cardboard, dry waste.
2. In the feeding point the waste
falls into a temporary storage
space of about 300 litres. The
storage space is emptied when it
is full enough.
Refuse to a waste station
through a feeding pipe
The pipe system will consist of
collection points, an underground
pipeline, and a waste station. The
refuse will be sorted at home and
taken to a collection point with
dedicated feeding pipes for each
type of refuse. The pipe hatch
will open automatically with the
customer’s electronic key. The
refuse is placed in a waste inlet,
which tips the refuse into the
storage space of the feeding pipe
when the hatch closes.
The waste is emptied from
the storage space automatically,
based on the fill monitoring
information. When the emptying
begins, the formator at the
bottom end of the storage space
moves the waste to a connection
pipe, in which the waste station
equipment has created a vacuum.
The waste will move to
the waste station at a high
speed. The waste will then be
separated from the air current.
24
Waste station pipes mounted on 26 September 2011.
After that the waste will fall
into a waste press, which moves
it to a freight container. The
containers will be transported to
the recipient of the waste type in
question by a truck.
An alternative to
traditional technique
The first pipe system was already
built in Sweden over forty years
ago. It was considered for the
Tampella area in Tampere some
twenty years ago. The pipe system,
which has been more popular
elsewhere in the world, began to
become popular here only during
the past ten years.
However, for a long time
there was only one technological
model, which was used in Espoo
Suurpelto and Jätkäsaari and
Kalasatama in Helsinki.
The station is ready for final touches in April.
Currently, there is both the new
and the traditional technology
available on the market. The
table on page 25 shows that
the selection of technology will
impact, among other things,
both the location options of the
pipeline and the implementation
of the installation work,
including the duration of the
work.
The pipe system fits Vuores
The main goal of the Vuores
project is a city sector with
modern living, where new
technology is used and people
live more ecologically. The first
background studies showed that
a pipe system meets these goals
well.
Big waste trucks with their
emissions and noise can be
eliminated from the grounds
and, at the same time, the
related traffic risk is eliminated.
Waste shelters will be removed
and the freed up space can be
used for some other purpose.
Furthermore, collection work
with containers as it is now does
not seem to be the most sought
after profession in the future
from occupational safety and
workforce availability points of
view.
3. The feeding point formator
However, there was a player
on the market with a different
approach: let’s place the refuse
in plastic pipe with a smaller
diameter. A formator to be
placed at the bottom of each
feeding pipe had been developed.
This technology option
provided additional grounds
to consider procurement. The
required operating energy would
4. The waste travels in the pipe
with the help of vacuum and air
flow, one waste type at a time.
5. The waste moves through the
pipe to a waste station. Waste
and air are separated in a cyclone
separator. The waste falls into a
press, where, for example, the
volume of dry waste decreases
by about one forth. The air
be about one fifth compared
to the competing technology.
The pipeline installation work
would become easier and faster.
Opportunities to develop the
construction and use of the pipe
system were also identified. New
prospects to implement the pipe
system in old city infrastructure
opened up. An opportunity
to introduce new technology
continues to a filter, where the
impurities are removed. Most
of the air returns back to the
pipeline.
6. The weight press will move
each waste type into its own
respective container.
7. Trucks pick up the containers
to be transported to processing.
onto the market, in the
challenging area of building
infrastructure, was identified.
Information was sought to
set up fair tendering
This was backed by statements
on technology, economy, and
founding a company. The
project had been presented to
Differences in two pipe systems available on the market
New technology saves
energy
Cost studies showed that in
Vuores, due to the structure
of the district and building
efficiency, the costs would be
close to a breaking point. The
studies were first based on
traditional technology.
Examination variable
MariMatic technology
Envac technology
Pipe, internal diameters/material
210 … 310 mm/plastic
400 … 600 mm/steel
Delivery length of the pipe
22 m/bar
6 m/bar
Need for curves
Only in bigger bends
A bend always by beveling or with a curve
Pipe welding, estimated eample
Electrofusion welding, 50 – 70 m/km
(D 310 mm)
Metal arc welding, 260 – 300 m/km
(D 500 mm)
Lifts and haulages
Mostly with light machines
Heavy work machines
Energy need (Vuores area)
25 – 35 kWh/t waste, 3-4 €/t
190 – 210 kWh/t waste, 21-23 €/t
the future builders of Vuores.
Technical facts were clarified
in the meetings with potential
pipe system suppliers. Above
all, information was sought to
set up fair tendering. Possible
weaknesses of system suppliers
were also identified.
An analysis of the consultant
market made it clear that the
purchaser has to adopt a strong
role both in tendering and later
in construction and the related
planning.
Each project area must be
seen individually. Procurement
as a consult-driven negotiation
procedure was rejected due to
its apparent high cost and long
duration.
It had to be realised that the
pipe diameter, pipeline alignment
and structural materials were
not to be set as standard in the
request to tender. Standardisation
in the request to tender would
have led to unjustified limitation
of competition.
In the request to tender, the
location of the waste station,
the so called basic service level
collection
points
together
with their number of feeding
pipes, and street sections where
pipelines were forbidden to
build were standardised, and
requirements regarding, for
example,
automation
and
information technology were
presented.
Purchaser-driven tendering
began in autumn 2010
The decision to procure was
received in September 2010.
Purchaser-driven public tendering
was started immediately.
In addition to price, the
criteria for the overall economic
efficiency included references,
innovativeness
and
energy
consumption. In November
2010, MariMatic Oy, which
represented new technology,
was selected as the supplier
of the main procurement. A
frame agreement has been made
with them. Itemised goods
and installation purchases will
25
Waste collection points were installed in the housing fair area in early May.
Vuores pipe system
Description factor
Description
Collected waste types
Mixed waste, biowaste, paper and cardboard
Floor square metres of
the area
Housing appr. 360,000 fm2, work places appr. 85,000
fm2
Population equivalent
appr. 13,000
Length of the pipeline
appr. 13 km, of which 4.5 km with diameter D 310 and
the rest with diameter D210
Pipeline type
Three separate ring-line systems
Collection points
appr. 100 -110 pcs, appr. 280 - 300 feeding pipes
Waste station
Gross floor area appr. 450 fm2, volume appr. 4,900 fm3
Cost
44 … 48 €/fm2 (2010 price level)
be made using procurement
contracts.
In addition to the main
procurement, separate tendering
was needed, for example, for
the waste station building,
pipeline earthwork and for part
of the planning tasks. There are
over ten contractors and their
subcontractors.
Almost four kilometres of
pipeline is ready
The construction of the pipeline
began in January 2011 and it will
continue for the next 10 years.
Currently, almost four kilometres
of pipeline is ready. The structures
of the collection points and
connection pipes are built in the
housing fair area, as well as in other
properties currently being built.
The planning of the waste
station was done in spring
2011, and the construction
began in May 2011. Equipment
installation began in December
2011. The waste station with
yard structures was ready in
June 2012. The pipe system
was ready for use in August.
26
In a project involving new
technology, in principle, only
the purchaser has an interest in
keeping the costs in line, and,
in particular, in taking care of
development work during the
construction. It is important
to start the cooperation with
the planner as early as possible.
Potential routes for the pipes,
the connections of the main
pipe and connecting pipes
and preliminary locations for
collection points must be clarified.
The planning of the pipe
system, and in particular, the
collection points and pipeline,
requires its own “guidelines”
including competence. Planning
competence related to water
supply or district heating systems
cannot be directly applied to
planning a waste transfer pipeline.
Work instructions benefit
other projects, as well
Work instructions that are
created for Vuores regarding
collection point and pipeline
construction will certainly benefit
future projects. For example, when
The waste collection point has its own inlets for bio waste, paper,
cardboard and mixed waste.
the possibility provided by the pipe
material and long pipes to vary the
planting depth in the trenches is
utilised, it has also been possible to be
flexible in the planning of the waste
conveying pipeline, in relation to the
technically more rigid pipes of water
supply service and district heating.
The route drawings of
the pipelines, together with the
excavation pictures are created at
the same time as the rest of the
infrastructure planning of the
construction are. The final location
planning is done together with the
real estate developer. The Vuores
project emphasises that there must
be an expert checking the pipeline
definitions. The expert must have an
opportunity to coordinate and check
all the different infrastructure plans.
Building a large technical system
always has its challenges. The
building of the waste conveying
pipeline must be included as
part of street construction jobs.
Through good cooperation we
have already produced solutions
and operational models, which have
been used to create competence
required by the implementation
of
new
infrastructure.
Regular worksite meetings are in a
central position to determine possible
“collision courses” in advance. A real
positive sign in the Vuores project
has been the good spirit which
has taken place in the cooperation
between
the
infrastructure
team and real estate vendors.
The waste conveying pipe
system has been warmly welcomed
to regional construction as new
infrastructure. The support and
considerable commitment to the
project of city officials and officeholders have significantly speeded up
the implementation of the project.
Pipe system to a subsidiary
Naturally, the deployment of
the pipe system will raise many
questions. How will you be able
to get an old frying pan in the
pipe? It does not belong there,
and the formator will prevent it
from entering the pipeline. When
the pipe system was selected, we
knew that we were not buying
a cell phone off the shelf.
We will certainly face
challenges that can be called
problems. However, we are
prepared for them and will
also participate in the active
development work ourselves.
Without courage, significant
new solutions cannot be
deployed, especially not in
infrastructure technology. Now
it was time for such a solution.
A decision was made at
Tampere Regional Solid Waste
Management Ltd. to establish a
subsidiary, Pirkan Putkikeräys Oy
to take care of the investment
and operation of the pipe
collection. Apart from singlefamily houses, the residential
and other property companies
of the pipe system area are B
shareholders of the subsidiary.
They made the funding
of the pipe system investment
transparent, and the entire
operation into a clear entity. The
subsidiary owns the technical
structure of the whole pipe
system, including the equipment
situated in the properties. No
funding was needed from the
city for project preparation.
www.pirkanmaan-jatehuolto.fi/Yhtio/
pirkanputkikerays