[farance]

I've lived on Roosevelt Island for the past 37 years and the AVAC system has been very reliable, and no garbage trucks. The system works with a set of "timed" openings and several score of chutes, so the full vacuum pressure is maintained for a single chute, then it closes, and moves onto the next chute. The system timing can be adjusted to meet varying demands. Some of us are looking for possibilities of, say, 3-headed attachments at the chute base, which would allow separation into various recyclables to be automated sorted/collected. Annual cost is about $360K, which is about $30 per person per year (or $3/month). And the system collects and containerizes the garbage so only one carting truck is needed to pick up a full container, rather than carting trucks half loaded, i.e., better truck, fuel, exhaust efficiency. It's one of those "Jetsons" ideas that actually works well. I'm working with politicians to get mini-AVAC systems in areas of Manhattan (high rises), but you can imagine that there are regulatory obstacles and union/industry obstacles, but it really works well.