Welcome to
Maroochydore, Sunshine Coast
Sunshine Coast Council is Australia’s fifth largest municipality located 100 km north of Brisbane.
Envac is now operating Australia’s first ever pneumatic waste collection system
for domestic waste in the city centre.
The brief
Sunshine Coast Council initiated an ambitious development of vacant land in the heart of Maroochydore. A sustainable city of the future was envisaged with large numbers of people living and working in the new urban centre. The new Maroochydore CBD was designed for pedestrians, bicycle access and public transport. This meant that traditional methods of collecting waste via large trucks were not viable anymore.
The Project
Envac designed the underground pipe network and other infrastructure that removes waste to a collection station on the edge of the precinct.
The system was designed to take the full waste load from the entire CBD. The pipe network was installed underground before the roads and footpaths were constructed.
Envac supplied the specialist pneumatic waste collection equipment. It was installed in the new collection station by local contractors under the supervision of Envac. The system was commissioned in April 2021.
9 tons/day
designed collection capacity when completed and in full operation
2 separate waste fractions
Rest / Recyclables
300 waste inlets
conveniently located through out the precinct
22 litterbins by Envac
connected to the underground pipe network and automatically emptied
The result
Public litter bins, for General waste and Recyclables, are cleared every day without rubbish trucks. The system is hermetically closed, which eliminates odour and vermin. Wheelie bins are never seen.
In the commercial buildings cleansing staff dispose of waste into conveniently located inlets on the ground floor. Waste from those buildings is removed automatically by the system up to 4 times per day depending on usage.
The Envac system will help improve the area’s infrastructure as waste is collected and transported in an underground pipe network, not on the streets. This will reduce waste collection traffic with heavy vehicles remarkably, and make the living environment quieter, cleaner and safer.
The first phase of the system, which includes the collection station, was completed in 2019. The system was commissioned and commenced commercial operations in 2021.
New buildings are being connected to the AWCS regularly and the next stage of the CBD development is expected in 2024.
The entire development will be completed in 2041.
I’m very proud the Sunshine Coast is leading the change in Australia with this innovative waste collection solution and I’m sure other cities and major urban projects will soon be following in our footsteps. As well as making our city heart more attractive, this technology has a track record of increasing recycling rates, so our natural environment will benefit too.
