Easton shopping centre values the reliability of Europress waste management devices
Text and photos: Pia Husu-Vierimaa
The finnish Helsinki shopping centre Easton was completed in 2017 in Itäkeskus, Helsinki, adjacent to the existing Itis shopping centre. Easton Helsinki houses 40 shops and serves 5.2 million customers annually. Europress has been Easton Helsinki’s waste management partner since day one. For almost the same period, Property Manager Hannu Isoniemi from Caverion and Shopping Centre Manager Olli Virtanen from Kesko have also worked with Europress.
Shopping Centre Manager Olli Virtanen from Kesko and Property Manager Hannu Isoniemi from Caverion value the reliability of Europress waste management devices and the dependable service. The Balex-C waste baler is the optimal choice for baling metal cans.
“The most important criteria when selecting waste management equipment are functionality and reliable maintenance,” say Property Manager Hannu Isoniemi from Caverion and Shopping Centre Manager Olli Virtanen from Kesko.
These criteria were easily met by Europress’s own service organisation and its Finnish-made equipment, which is designed for even the most demanding conditions. Finnish work and products are highly valued when making waste management purchases.
Cost-effective solutions
Easton Helsinki’s three different waste management areas house 11 Europress waste compactors and balers that have been tailored specifically to the customer’s waste management requirements. The most cost-effective solutions have been selected for the different waste fractions generated at the shopping centre, taking into account the volumes of waste and the dimensions of the rear spaces.
For example, a narrow Combi waste compactor was designed for the rear space, where a delivery truck can easily fit to handle the logistics of goods between the two waste compactors.
Easton Helsinki was completed in 2017.
Europress service technician saves the day
Whenever a waste management device requires maintenance, Easton Helsinki can rely on a Europress service technician who knows Easton’s equipment inside and out.
Hannu Isoniemi and Olli Virtanen are very satisfied having their own, familiar service technician. Service technician Topias Sorvali is like a personal doctor to Easton Helsinki who helps in emergencies and fixes and repairs when help is needed.
“If I do not hear anything from him, it means that everything is working brilliantly in terms of waste disposal,” says Olli Virtanen. In the event of a possible fault, the service technician ensures that the equipment’s downtime is minimised as much as possible.
Ambitious recycling targets
Easton Helsinki regularly holds quarterly “tenant mornings” for property representatives and business owners, where they review recycling targets and provide guidance on waste sorting.
(From left to right) Olli Virtanen and Hannu Isoniemi have worked with Kimmo Jussila, Sales Director at Europress, for almost eight years.
The recycling rate target is 80%. Easton wants to minimise the proportion of mixed waste as much as possible.
“The cleanliness of the waste facilities is particularly important to Easton Helsinki, which invests a lot in keeping them tidy. This also contributes to the safety of its waste facilities,” says Hannu Isoniemi.
In recent years, Easton Helsinki has also invested in new waste management equipment to achieve cost savings. The new equipment has enabled the introduction of automatic emptying calls, which have proven to be beneficial. They also generate savings to the shopping centre in terms of transportation costs.
The SMART Insights service has been in use for over a year, and experiences with it have been positive. SMART expert Ben Mårtens has taken Easton Helsinki’s needs into account in the technical solutions. Next to the shopping centre’s parking lot is a popular Rinki eco take-back point, which complements Easton’s range of services.
The Rinki eco take-back point by the shopping centre’s parking lot is in heavy use.
The cleanliness of the waste facilities is particularly important to Easton Helsinki, which invests a lot in keeping them tidy. This also contributes to the safety of its waste facilities.
The largest producer of waste in the shopping centre is K-Citymarket. Easton K-Citymarket has received several retail industry awards, including Citymarket of the Year 2020.
Sustainability, sorting and the everyday functionality of waste management are important issues for the store. New equipment solutions allow it to utilise the latest technology.
By monitoring the fill level of its waste compactors, the store has set a goal to significantly reduce the number of emptyings.
The compactors are transported for emptying based on emptying notifications only when they are full, which significantly reduces transports and emissions.
A narrow Combi waste compactor was designed for the rear space, where a delivery truck can easily fit to handle the logistics of goods between the two waste compactors.
EASTON HELSINKI SHOPPING CENTRE
- Developer: Kesko
- Year built: 2017
- Total rental floor space: 28,000 m2 (Easton 20,000 m2 and Hansakäytävä 8,000 m2, of which Citymarket accounts for 12,000 m2)
- Shops: 40
- Customers: 5.2 million/year
- Recycling rate: 81%
- Citymarket Best Fruit and Vegetable Department 2024, Citymarket of the Year 2020
- Europress waste management devices:
- CombiMax WET
- H&G screw compactor
- CombioMOD
- Balex- C
- Combio
- CombiMax
- Combi Narrow (Special Combi waste compactor)