Rock bottom, rockets, and time optimists, come along behind the scenes!
A lot happens in a year. Not just at EWF HQ, but out in the real world, on the streets, in the parks, on the quaysides, and in the early hours of the morning before the city has woken up.
We have gathered some of our most memorable moments from the past year, high, low, and from the bottom of the sea.
We start at the bottom of the sea
The low point of the year occurred when a Bigbelly knocked off a pier, complete with concrete foundation and all. "Impossible to retrieve," said the customer. It lay there for months, through the winter, until the following summer. CLEAN send signals from the depths. Once we finally retrieved it and installed new batteries, it started up as if nothing had happened.
Unbelievable. True story!
This year's Raket award goes to Östhammar Municipality, which invested heavily in smart waste management and increased its number of smart waste bins from 4 to 22, an increase of 450%.
"We don't have to make unnecessary emptying rounds and see a time saving in the maintenance and emptying of waste bins," says Henrik Sundin, Outdoor Environment Strategist, Technical Office, Östhammar Municipality.
We are proud to be part of Östhammar Municipality's journey.
Time Optimist of the Year is our service technician who booked accommodation "in the middle of nowhere" in Denmark in winter. A cabin without heating, insulation, or working locks. A night spent on edge, wearing a hat and outdoor clothing, served as a reminder that a good idea is not always so good in reality.
This year's Hoppsan goes to the taxi driver who accidentally threw both his cell phone and car keys into a Bigbelly of the summer heat when the office was closed for vacation.
The waste disposal station naturally refused to release the contents, but the conversation ended with laughter and a comment that "the barrel is safer than a safe!"
Our smartest product was responsible for the biggest moment of the year
Innovation of the Year was the launch of our new OD BIKE ACE charging cabinet, our own technological marvel for safe, traceable, and smart charging of electric bike batteries. After several years of development, it was awesome to finally bring the technology into the spotlight.
This year's Night Walker was the refreshing person who suddenly appeared when a colleague began his working day in the dawn mist on the streets of Stockholm. What began as discomfort ended in an unexpectedly pleasant conversation before sunrise.
When ACE was later showcased at a small, niche trade fair, we had another highlight: Fullträff of the Year. We believed in the product, but we couldn't have guessed that it would take the audience by storm within the first hour.
Awesome! Right place, right context, right time.
The Circular Initiative of the Year (or perhaps the Feather in the Cap of the Year) is the initiative that shines brightly at the end of the year.
Surely we should be proud that the largest airport in the Nordic region has chosen us to strengthen its sustainability work?
Our waste sorting system really shows its strength in an environment with high demands and a large flow of people and waste.
We will carry this collaboration forward into 2026 with pride, curiosity, and a continued desire to help businesses large and small become both smarter and more sustainable.
No annual review is complete without paying tribute to our heroes
This year's Teamwork award goes to the entire team at EWF Eco.
(Unfortunately, we don't have a picture of the whole team, and since this picture is so nice, it will simply have to represent the gang.)
It has been an intense year of new experiences, launches, and a fast pace. But above all, what stands out is the teamwork.
Colleagues who have been called in during their vacations, the team that has been shuttling back and forth to trade shows, and our real heroes: those who work behind the scenes to ensure that our customers receive top-quality products and that the money comes in as it should.
Thank you for following us behind the scenes. Now we're moving forward toward another year of innovation, collaboration, and smarter cities.
Best regards,
The team at EWF Eco
