The municipality of Madrid's area is 8,082 km2 and it includes a lot of nature, too. Along with the metropolitan area there are for example mountains, meadows, plains, countryside and moors.
Madrid's nature offers spectacular beauty and the parks are ideal destinations for visitors who want to enjoy the peace and silence of the outdoors. Considering that the region is home to more than 6 million people, the environmental service employees have had to analyze the best solutions to keep these natural areas clean despite the high visitor rate. The municipality offers the tools, but the visitors themselves have a key role when it comes to keeping the waste from the nature.
The municipality provides visitors waste containers on the main trails and at the entrances, parking lots and picnic areas. Traditional waste containers have been available for many years at more than 100 sites around the municipality. However, the metal containers were starting to get very old and they were not pleasing to the eye let alone comfortable to use. Due to the long distances, the emptying was also a significant cost to the municipality.
Old container used in Madrid before the Molok-project
Between December 2018 and February 2019, a total of 155 MolokClassic containers were installed: 95 of the containers are for mixed waste and 60 for packages.
Molok containers for two fractions: bio waste and packages.
Why choose Molok for recreational areas
1) Sufficient capacity
The use of the waste containers in recreational areas varies a lot depending on the day of the week and the month of the year. The variation makes it difficult to plan the emptying of the containers in an effective way. If the conventional containers get too full during high season, it is very likely possible that the waste will end up in the nature or around the containers. Molok is the perfect solution due to its large capacity that guarantees that there are no overflows.
2) The effect of coolness
We talk about the high capacity but what happens when there are hardly any visitors in the areas? Should the containers be taken out of use for that time?
With Molok deep collection containers it's not necessary: the waste that is thrown into them can stay in the container for a long time without causing odor problems. The reason for that is that they are installed at the depth of 1.5 meters and the body of the container is not metallic. This prevents heat from transfering from the surface to the bottom of the container. The waste stays fresh and therefore there are no odors. This makes the surrounding area also more enjoyable.
3) Water and animal proofness
The well of the Molok container is completely waterproof which prevents liquids leaking to the soil. Additionally, the robust structure and solid lid prevents access from animals. Both of these features are important in any location, but especially in natural areas.
4) New technology
The municipality of Madrid has chosen to have filling sensors in their Molok-containers. The sensor notifies the service company when the container is at 70 % of its capacity. This eliminates unnecessary emptying as the containers are emptied only when needed. On the other hand, if the container is filling up faster than usual, service can react to that, too.
The use of volumetric sensors is especially useful in vast areas, like parks and recreational zones, where there are multiple containers to empty.
Molok containers before installation
Are you planning waste management solutions in your region? Contact your local dealer for Molok-ideas!
