Three Pipes Out

Three Pipes Out goes into RecoLab that develops sustainable systems in a development plant, showroom and testbed.

For residents

Will you be moving into the new residential buildings in Oceanhamnen? Then you have the pleasure of looking forward to being an environmental hero. Every day.

Your contribution to a better environment

When you move into the new residential area Oceanhamnen (The Ocean Harbour) in Helsingborg, you automatically become an environmental hero. Your apartment contains a recycling waste system which has many advantages to the rest of the society,  which makes it easy for you to recycle correctly.

The residential building in which you will be living is connected to three separate waste pipes; one vacuum pipe for the toilets, one pipe for baths, dishwashing and washing machines and one pipe for ground food waste. By recycling your waste in three different waste pipes you contribute environmentally in several ways:

• The collection of cleaner food waste for anaerobic digestion into biogas and biofertilizer that can be used as a fertilizers on farmland.
• By using vacuum toilets the amount of water used when flushing is decreased and the resources available in the toilet water is used more efficiently. Thanks to the toilet wastewater and the food waste being concentrated, more biogas can be produced, and more nutrients can be derived.
• With a separate collection of bathwater and water from washing dishes and clothes the heat from the shower or bath, dishwasher and washing machine can be immediately recycled in the building through a system of heat exchange.
• The collection system reaches several environment goals, specifically reduced overfertilization, reduced climate effects and reduced water usage. You personally contribute to the recycling of three times more phosphorous and seven times more nitrogen in one year compared to a household which does not have the same recycling system.

The systems also contribute to several goals within Agenda 2030, specifically Clean water and sanitation, Sustainable cities and societies, Sustainable energy for all and Sustainable consumption and production. In other words, the system will not only contribute to the city of Helsingborg’s environmental goals for the H+ area but also to the climate- and environment work that is being carried out on a national level.

The benefits of the food waste grinder:

• The recycling rooms for other waste stays cleaner
• Greater amounts of food waste will be collected to digest into biogas. The residue will become biofertilizers to be used on farmland
• There will be a decrease in heavy transports in residential areas
• There will be a decreased loss in the handling chain and thus an increased production of biogas and biofertilizers.

The benefits of vacuum toilets:

• Handling of sewage water at the treatment plant will be more energy efficient thanks to more concentrated flows. With new treatment techniques the emission of greenhouse gases at the treatment plants are reduced
• Biogas production will increase since the anaerobic digestion process can take place immediately without pre-treatment at the plant
• Residents will reduce the amount of water used
• Cleaner raw material compared to the current sewage water and sewage waste.
• Increased circulation of nutrients back to the agricultural sector, especially of phosphorous- and nitrogenbased fertilizers, which are both today prepared with fossile resources and which need to be replaced with more sustainable ecocycle products
• More energy efficient pharmaceutical treatment thanks to the sewage water being kept separate from other waste
• Positive experiences of vacuum systems in households have been seen in both Germany and the Netherlands.

CONTACT

Development plant, showroom and testbed. If you want to arrange a visit or just learn more about RecoLab, please get in touch.

Amanda Haux
Business developer, contact person for showroom, test bed and company location
amanda.haux@nsva.se
+46 10 490 97 83

Hamse Kjerstadius
Development engineer, responsible for operating facility, contact person for business recycling
hamse.kjerstadius@nsva.se
+46 10 485 87 72

Amanda Widén
Development engineer, contact person for water recycling
amanda.widen@nsva.se
+46 10 490 97 65

Collaborative project

The work with Tre Rör Ut (Three Pipes Out) and Reco lab is a collaboration between the City of Helsingborg, Nordvästra Skånes Vatten och Avlopp (NSVA), Sweden Water Research and Nordvästra Skånes Renhållning (NSR).