The automated, pneumatic waste collection system collecting trash on Roosevelt Island for more than 40 years, will soon receive a major upgrade. Roosevelt Islanders’ trash will continue to be automatically collected via a 20 inch tube, with a – whoosh – eliminating daily garbage collection trucks.
Envac Iberia has been awarded a $1.7 million contract by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp. of the State of New York (RIOC). It will improve operations, reduce energy consumption, release more than half the space presently reserved for AVAC operations and provide at least 30 more years of automated waste collection to the Island’s growing residential population.
AVAC has been operated by the NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) for 40 plus years relying on virtually the original equipment. The upgrade will bring 4 decades of innovation to the Island’s system, including remote monitoring and operations, and smaller, more energy efficient equipment. The upgrade investment is expected to be paid back in 4 years, in operational savings alone. Re-use of the significant amount of space released to be used for more profitable purposes, is under study by RIOC.
Roosevelt Island’s 14,000 plus residents will continue to receive vacuum waste collection services throughout the 6 -month upgrade. Built in redundancy allows the system to operate, despite sections being replaced and repaired. AVAC’s track record for reliability is well established. Not only has it been serving the Roosevelt Island community for over 40 years, but it continued to operate during Hurricane Sandy. The Island was the only NYC sanitation district with uninterrupted waste collection when New York garbage was left uncollected on City sidewalks for up to 3 weeks during the blizzards of winter 2010-11, when garbage trucks were redeployed to plow snow.