Mercantec – Midtbyens Gymnasium

Total solution for all common areas at Denmark’s most modern high school

Mercantec is Viborg Municipality’s largest educational institution and offers upper secondary education, vocational training, and more than 1,000 different adult and continuing education programmes.

Midtbyens Gymnasium is a state‑of‑the‑art and highly technological upper secondary school completed in 2020, accommodating around 1,200 students. The building has become the connecting link between the new railway district with the train station and Viborg city centre. At the top of the impressive building, you will also find a rooftop terrace with a net‑enclosed sports court. The stylish architecture, closely connected to the urban outdoor environment, creates a beautiful landmark in the heart of the city.

The Challenge

A need for a solid and flexible waste solution that could blend into the interior design and meet regulatory requirements.

Because the school features numerous open common areas and group workspaces, it required a well‑thought‑out total solution both indoors and outdoors to streamline waste handling. The furniture and lighting are sleek with a Nordic touch, combined with raw concrete walls and wood. It would go against the design direction if the materials of the waste sorting solution did not speak the same visual language as the rest of the interior.

From waste to resources

"The building is designed with many common areas across several floors, which required flexible solutions that could naturally blend into the environment."

Richard, Department Manager (Building Services), Mercantec

The Solution

The high school received a flexible waste solution for placement in the various common areas.

They chose a combination of Model 867 and Model 874, enabling sorting into residual waste, paper, plastic/glass/metal, and food waste in the bin with a lift‑lid. At the same time, they chose to place one deposit container on each floor to meet the students’ wish to dispose of deposit‑marked packaging. The waste systems are equipped with wheels, making them easy to move during cleaning. The school also implemented Model 713 with three fractions in their outdoor areas and at entrances. It was important for them to establish a solution across all areas of the school to ensure efficient and consistent sorting for both students and staff. Additionally, it was crucial to create optimal working conditions and streamlined operations for the cleaning staff.

From waste to resources

"It was important for us to make it as easy as possible for our cleaning staff to handle the waste. We can definitely say that this has been achieved."

Richard, Department Manager (Building Services), Mercantec

Future Expectations

Concrete initiatives in the sustainability strategy

Mercantec has a clear ambition to implement flexible waste sorting solutions at their other educational sites in the coming years, as this is a concrete initiative in their sustainability strategy.

One of the most significant challenges with sorting is the number of plastic bags used. Cleaning staff place the bag from a waste bin into another plastic bag on the cleaning cart. This is a challenge Mercantec wants to solve effectively so they can reduce bag consumption and avoid plastic ending up in, for example, paper or metal fractions.

See how we have helped other companies

Airports

Case

CPH

Office

Case

Agro Food Park