NEW YORK (PIX11)—For the first time, TV cameras were allowed to see the state-of-the-art trash terminal at NYCHA’s 60-year-old Polo Grounds campus.
Inside is a $31 million vacuum-powered system that is set to be used in just days.
“These 150 horsepower fans will suck an air stream. The garbage will be sucked from 20-inch steel pipes from each of the buildings,” said Kevin Smith, a contractor who oversaw the project.”
Garbage thrown in the chutes in the four 31-story towers will travel up to 60 miles per hour. Each week, 30 tons of trash will go underground and directly into these collection bins.
“The work around the campus was challenging,” Smith added.
Smith’s team has worked since 2021 to retrofit the Upper Manhattan campus with the system designed by Trans-Vac. It is meant to immediately remove all trash from the buildings to reduce rodents and pests.
“By eliminating that, staff will be able to do all the other maintenance tasks,” said NYCHA’s Juliette Sperthus, who helped with the design.