Bergen underground waste collection system

Back in 2008, the Bergen city council decided that all future waste collection in the medieval city center should be shifted from bins and containers, to underground pipes. 2015 sees the official opening of BIR Nett – the underground waste collection system. Over the course of 2017 and 2018 the network is expanding and work is ongoing for many years to come. BIR Nett AS, a fully owned subsidiary of BIR AS, the local waste management company, is implementing the project. Municipal departments such as the civil engineering department, water & sewage department, the parks commission, building authorities, the public health department and representatives from city hall have all been consecutively involved within this urban development project.

Customers have to use an ID-key chip to access their allocated inlet. The inlets are multi-functional, i.e. both customers from private households (shopping bags), business customers (100l bags) and passers-by can use three different hatches. All customers have access to waste inlets 24 hours, 365 days a year. The solution can handle household waste, paper, plastic & cardboard. To secure a complete waste management solution, the system will be enriched its own solutions for glass & metal and bulky waste (trenched tanks and mobile recycling stations). Through a system of pipes and a vacuum principle it arrives to the terminal where the waste is collected.