The pneumatic collection of urban waste in Spain, enjoyed by about 800,000 inhabitants, prevents the emission of about 4,900 tons of CO2 per year, equivalent to 725 50-meter long Olympic swimming pools , 25 wide and 2.7 m deep; or what is the same, about 2,500,000 m3 of CO2.

According to a study carried out by Envac Iberia, the company specialized in the development, installation and operation of pneumatic pneumatic collection systems, the 56 facilities in operation in Spain, present in 24 cities, prevent the route of 258,055 kilometers of public roads per year to the garbage trucks.

To carry out the study, Envac Iberia has relied on technical reports that attribute the emission of 3.59 kg of CO2 per containerization and 29.73 kg of CO2 per ton of waste transported in trucks.

Pneumatic waste collection is a transport system that uses underground pipe networks through which the waste driven by an air current travels to a consolidation plant. Users are disposed of waste through mailboxes or dumping points located on public roads or inside their buildings.

The energy used by these systems is electric, and a good part of their consumption needs are covered by solar energy from the photovoltaic panels installed in the facilities themselves.

The most recent innovations experienced by pneumatic systems have allowed to incorporate elements of Artificial Intelligence into their control modules capable of analyzing in real time patterns and habits of users regarding the deposit of waste in the system, which has further improved its efficiency energetic

In seven of the 10 most sustainable cities

Pneumatic collection systems are present in 7 of the 10 most sustainable cities in Spain that appear in the ranking prepared by the Sustainability Observatory. This is Vitoria, Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastián, Bilbao, Zaragoza and Burgos.

Likewise, the system is in force in 5 of the 10 Spanish cities best positioned in the Smart Cities paradigm that are included in the IESE Cities in Motion index. In this ranking are Barcelona, Madrid, Seville, Zaragoza and Bilbao, all of them with pneumatic collection systems in operation.

Other Spanish cities that also have the system are Pamplona, León, Majadahonda, Alcobendas, Reus or Sabadell.

Preferred infrastructure in 44 cities of the world

“The preservation of the environment in cities and the improvement of the quality of life in urban environments are two of the most important challenges that public managers will have to face in the next 30 years, and their achievement, in addition to collaboration of all citizens, it will require the technological innovation contest ”, says Carlos Bernad, president of Envac Iberia.

“Currently, 44 cities in the world, among which are the main cities by development and population volume, such as Stockholm, Copenhagen or Singapore have declared pneumatic waste collection systems as preferred infrastructure, a line that in Spain have followed cities like Barcelona, which has a pneumatic collection master plan, or Majadahonda, which currently offers coverage with these systems to more than 70% of its population, ”he adds.