Envac gives Wembley dustmen the sack

Dustbin men (and women) in Wembley have found themselves put out of a job - and it’s not because of the credit crunch.

It’s because rubbish from a new 4,200 home development around Wembley football stadium is not being put into ordinary bins, but into a specially designed hi-tech chute, from which it is collected by a giant vacuum cleaner.

The Envac system - designed in Sweden - transports the rubbish through a series of underground pipes, and collects it in giant lorry sized vats, ready for pick up.

All residents of Wembley City have to do is separate the rubbish before they chute it off in the grey pillar box style bins. Rubbish doesn’t even need to be put into black sacks before it’s put into the chutes.

There is one chute for organic waste, one for dry recyclables, and one for non-recyclables.

Envac director Julian Gaylor said the system will mean higher levels of recycling, and less CO2 emissions because there are no wheelie bins, and no dustcarts driving round to pick them up.

Swedes have used Envac since the 1960s, and over 30 other countries have already adopted the technology, leaving one big question: Why has it taken so long to come to the UK?