Southern Europe is also consciously choosing clean, sustainable ways to collect household waste. Spain is an appealing example of a country moving waste from the streets to collection facilities underground.

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Underground containers are spreading like an oil slick, but a clean one, across Spain. Consider cities like Alicante, Valancia and Cordoba on the Costa Brava. Or take Barcelona, Madrid and Rota in Andalusia. All places that are confidently switching to a public space that is becoming cleaner, more livable and more representative. Waste no longer ends up in bags or ugly steel bins in the streets. It disappears into underground waste containers after which it is efficiently collected. Plastic, VGF waste, glass and paper are already separated in advance by many citizens. After collection, the various waste fractions are processed into new raw materials.

Leading role in sustainable waste collection

For ten years now, VConsyst has played a leading role in the advance of modern, sustainable methods of waste collection in Spain. VConsyt is currently participating in a major waste collection tender in Santander, a large port city in the northwest of the country. Benjamin Beelen, manager of international business at VConsyst: “Our sister company Equinord is sharing fully in VConsyst’s international growth. Equinord markets our solutions in Spain, where it is the undisputed market leader in underground containers for public spaces. In this way, we have a widely branched network in Spain. We know all the ins and outs of the local Spanish markets.”

Waste containers from Chile to Dubai

Javier Carrasco of Equinord adds, “The market for underground waste collection is not only gaining strong momentum in Spain. Our business is also expanding beyond our borders. VConsyst waste containers are going to Portugal, Italy, Andorra, Poland and Bulgaria, among others. Outside Europe, we supply Chile and the Middle East, for example. We also have clients in Saudi Arabia and Dubai who are enthusiastic about our sustainable and efficient method of waste collection.”

Maintenance of collection facilities

Equinord, by the way, does more than just place underground waste containers. In the vast majority of Spain, Equinord has also been maintaining collection facilities from a wide variety of suppliers and collectors for years. Meanwhile, the underground waste container moves smoothly with the technological developments in Spain and Southern Europe. Benjamin Beelen: “In about five years, underground waste containers in Spain will also have special software and electronics on board, allowing them to communicate all kinds of data online to the collector’s back office.”