teller: There is a lot of garbage produced at Disney World. More than 15,000 tons per day at Magic Kingdom park alone. However, you won't see them anywhere. The Magic Kingdom has A futuristic system of hidden pipes shoots rubbish out of sight at 95 kilometers per hour.
However, Disney's system is very secretive, so we went to the only other place in the United States that handles trash in this way and on this scale.
This is Roosevelt Island – a small piece of land in New York City between Manhattan and Queens. Garbage has been moving through pipes there for nearly 50 years. This was supposed to be the future of garbage: no more bags on the curb, no more giant trucks and no more bugs. Dozens of European cities have such systems built into their infrastructure.
So how did Disney's magical garbage pipes end up on a small island in the middle of New York City? Why was this system not adopted in the United States?
Pneumatic tubes date back to the early 1800s. They basically work like giant vacuum cleaners, using compressed air to move things from one place to another. In the following decades, cities around the world began using tubes to deliver mail, as well as medical supplies and banknotes, and at one point McDonald's began doing so. However, the goal was always to transport people, as in the movie “The Jetsons.”
teller: In 1870, Alfred Ely Beach developed New York's first pneumatic subway. It was only one block long and was more of a proof of concept than an actual idea.
When Roosevelt Island opened its doors to residents in 1975, developers had a unique opportunity to experiment with a new type of waste management. Previously, the island was home to a notorious psychiatric facility, a smallpox hospital, and a prison.
Film history: This prison is the worst ever in the United States.
teller: The island needs to change its image and solve the garbage disposal problem. During this time, New York sanitation workers went on strike for nine days. More than a week went by without garbage collection and people started rioting. The system is inspired by the system found at Disney's Magic Kingdom. It was installed there just a few years ago and is still in use today. So how does this system work? This is the AVAC facility on Roosevelt Island.
Larry Carrick, Ensign, Roosevelt Island: AVAC is an automated vacuum waste collection system.
teller: Larry Carrick has been working as an engineer on the island since 2018. He has something to do.
Larry: I believe this was all installed and running in 1974. Most of the equipment is still working. Yesterday's work day lasted 17 hours. This is what this job looks like.
teller: About eight tons of garbage are transported through these pipes every day. Eventually everything will be compressed and will go into containers. The city's cleaning service sends special trucks to pick up the bins three times a day, along with bins filled with recyclable trash and items too large for the island's AVAC system.
The trash goes to the transfer station in Queens. There, it mixes with trash from the rest of the city and is sent to landfills or to incinerators that burn trash to produce energy. AVAC doesn't solve the problem of where the waste goes, but it makes the process of getting it there cleaner. All this is happening out of sight of 11,000 people. Island residents.
Alex Tulipan, Roosevelt Island resident: I've lived here for five years. I found out about it two weeks ago.
teller: However, the AVAC system is far from perfect. Decades of wear and tear have left pipes vulnerable to clogs and leaks, especially when residents don't understand what the system can handle.
Larry:Everything you can imagine goes there. Hockey sticks.
David Stone, journalist, Roosevelt Island Daily: Someone threw a bed frame there.
resident: Carpets, backpacks.
Judith Purdy, president of the Roosevelt Island Historical Society: I heard someone throw a mattress and a drawer.
Larry: Repeatedly. So there is something to laugh about.
tellerSolving these problems requires creative solutions.
Larry: Using this device we try to catch the object that is causing the blockage. Once we have a good grip on it, we try to get it out.
teller: When it comes to major repairs, someone has to crawl inside. The diameter of these tubes is only 45 cm.
Larry: If there is a leak in one of the pipes, a worker enters it. He lies down on the skateboard, rides inside, and uses welding equipment to repair the hole.
David: It's a very simple and intuitive process when it works properly. However, when it does not work, it creates an unpleasant odor.
teller: Breakdowns happen from time to time, but many residents prefer this solution over traditional garbage collection. Judith Purdy moved here in 1977, two years after the island opened to residents. She is president of the Roosevelt Island Historical Society and has written a book on the subject.
Judith: What a great book. I think I will read it.
teller: Judith says she can't imagine any other way to take out the trash.
Judith: There is no way I would want to collect garbage in the traditional way. I like that there is no trash on the street.
Larry: You won't see any mice here.
teller: In other parts of the world, AVAC systems are more modern. In Norway, these different containers separate trash from recyclables. In Sweden and Spain, some containers are fully automated.
So why can't Americans throw garbage down the pipes? The main reason is money, of course. Maintaining these systems is complex and expensive. Furthermore, private developers have no incentive to invest in this type of infrastructure. This guy who builds these systems compares them to a sewer line.
Carlos Bernad, Regional Director, Envac: How often do you have to clean the toilet to make the investment worthwhile? This is the basic function you use. Narrator Installing such systems is complicated, if not impossible. Demolition of buildings requires laying underground pipes. This is especially difficult in New York.
Nicole Dawes, New York City Sanitation Supervisor: Manhattan has a massive underground system consisting of subways, gas networks, and electric power grids, so implementing an AVAC system like the one on Roosevelt Island would be impossible.
teller: At the Polo Grounds in Harlem, the New York City Housing Authority is trying to implement this system.
Juliet Spitros, Urban Designer, New York City Housing Authority: There is no one-size-fits-all approach. In the case of dense buildings and high-rise buildings, garbage collection using this system can save a lot of space at the curbs.
teller: For the first time in half a century, an AVAC system will be installed in the city. The project cost is approximately $31 million. It will be used by 4,000 residents from four different buildings. It is expected to be completed by summer 2024. If the project is successful, it could serve as a model for the rest of the city and state. Swedish company Envac has designed systems on Roosevelt Island and for Disney and is looking to expand its operations in America.
Carlos:We believe that the potential market in the United States is very large. However, we still have a long way to go. We know it won't be easy.
teller: Roosevelt Island may not be the trash-free utopia residents have been promised for decades. The AVAC system has seen progress that may prompt people to rethink how they dispose of waste and the infrastructure behind it.
Larry: Someone has to put in the time and someone has to have the technology. It can't be like it is now. Someone has to keep investing money in modernizing and making positive changes.
Echo Richards embodies a personality that is a delightful contradiction: a humble musicaholic who never brags about her expansive knowledge of both classic and contemporary tunes. Infuriatingly modest, one would never know from a mere conversation how deeply entrenched she is in the world of music. This passion seamlessly translates into her problem-solving skills, with Echo often drawing inspiration from melodies and rhythms. A voracious reader, she dives deep into literature, using stories to influence her own hardcore writing. Her spirited advocacy for alcohol isn’t about mere indulgence, but about celebrating life’s poignant moments.
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