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NYC Plan to Suck Manhattan Garbage Through Vacuum-Powered Trash Tubes May Not Be a “Pipe” Dream

06/20/2012
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  • AVAC Pipes
    In the popular cartoon Futurama, a maze of vacuum-powered suction tubes is used to transport people around the city of <a href="http://futurama.wikia.com/wiki/New_New_York">New New York</a> - but did you know that a similar system is currently in use under Roosevelt Island in present-day NYC? OK, so it's far less advanced and it carries trash around instead of people, but it's capable of moving garbage from buildings around at speeds of up to 60 miles an hour. The <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/2012/6/19/should-new-york-city-expand-its-network-of-trash-sucking-vacuum-tubes">Automated Vacuum Collection System (AVAC) </a>has been so successful on the island that the city is thinking about taking the tech city-wide, eliminating the need for <a href="http://inhabitat.com/garbage-fueled-garbage-truck">garbage trucks</a> as well as the associated traffic and emissions.
    1
  • AVAC System
    In the popular cartoon Futurama, a maze of vacuum-powered suction tubes is used to transport people around the city of <a href="http://futurama.wikia.com/wiki/New_New_York">New New York</a> - but did you know that a similar system is currently in use under Roosevelt Island in present-day NYC? OK, so it's far less advanced and it carries trash around instead of people, but it's capable of moving garbage from buildings around at speeds of up to 60 miles an hour. The <a href="http://motherboard.vice.com/2012/6/19/should-new-york-city-expand-its-network-of-trash-sucking-vacuum-tubes">Automated Vacuum Collection System (AVAC) </a>has been so successful on the island that the city is thinking about taking the tech city-wide, eliminating the need for <a href="http://inhabitat.com/garbage-fueled-garbage-truck">garbage trucks</a> as well as the associated traffic and emissions.
    2
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AVAC Pipes

In the popular cartoon Futurama, a maze of vacuum-powered suction tubes is used to transport people around the city of New New York - but did you know that a similar system is currently in use under Roosevelt Island in present-day NYC? OK, so it's far less advanced and it carries trash around instead of people, but it's capable of moving garbage from buildings around at speeds of up to 60 miles an hour. The Automated Vacuum Collection System (AVAC) has been so successful on the island that the city is thinking about taking the tech city-wide, eliminating the need for garbage trucks as well as the associated traffic and emissions.

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Categories:  Architecture, Destinations, Energy, Environment
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