Helsingborg’s recycled wastewater a source of innovation in new pre-study

At the heart of the pre-study is RecoLab, a unique facility located in Oceanhamnen in Helsingborg. RecoLab was founded in 2021 and offers a creative and informative environment focused on urban development around water and wastewater, waste, energy, and recycling.

RecoLab’s development department is designed as a complete treatment plant for around 2,000 people, but treats only source-separated wastewater from Helsingborg’s new residential area Oceanhamnen. All properties have been built with a source-separated wastewater system, the so-called “Three Pipes Out.” This means RecoLab receives three wastewater streams instead of the conventional system with a single sewage pipe.

This creates conditions for both new products and new uses for recycled wastewater – from irrigation and fertiliser to drinking water.

Two questions in focus

The pre-study, funded by Vinnova, has examined how the City of Helsingborg can stimulate circularity with a focus on wastewater as a resource, with demand as the driving force.

Two main perspectives have been central:

• Stimulating demand for products based on recycled wastewater.
• Integrating procurement into an innovation process around industrial symbiosis, using the Demand Acceleration framework.

– Helsingborg’s approach has shown that circular innovation processes are not just about starting from a single demand owner and a single need, but that an entire network of actors needs to work together to find paths forward – and within the principles of public procurement. This differs greatly from a traditional procurement, and it is very exciting that we get to be part of this development, says Lina Svensberg, Process Manager at DigitalWell Arena.

Here you can access the full pre-study (in Swedish)