A mixed income Manhattan community begun by the State of New York in the 1970’s as an early showcase for innovation and environmental sensitivity, installed an Envac system with the beginning of construction.
The system continues to operate and now services the almost 14,000 residents calling Roosevelt Island home. As the development of the community nears completion, new buildings continue to connect to the system.
The system, in its 4th decade is so effective and efficient that Roosevelt Island was the only New York City Sanitation District to have uninterrupted collections, during the crippling snow storms of 2010, when garbage trucks were diverted to plow snow and garbage collected on the City’s streets for almost 3 weeks.Positive references can be obtained from the City Department of Sanitation, as well as the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, a New York State government entity.
Four major private real estate developers, with NY name recognition, are using the system with positive experience post original installation through today.
Grenadier Realty
1100 units in Manhattan Park development, built in 1991
Urban America
which purchased approx 1000 unit building in about 2006, now called Roosevelt Landings
The Octagon
new construction, about 500 units, built in approx 2006 by Becker and Becker, and
Riverwalk
a 1900 unit development (about 2/3 built to date) built and operated by Hudson Related subsidiary
Except for Roosevelt Landings which inherited an old hook up, each of these newer developments have new, modern hook ups and Envac continues to have capacity for a population which has more than doubled since original installation.
In May 2010 Fast trash, an exhibition organised by Juliette Spertus with Project Projects opened; at the Gallery Rivaa on Roosevelt Island. Part infrastructure portrait, part urban history brings an invisible system to the surface, and asks what a community built around progressive policies and technologies can teach us about how we choose our infrastructure.
Enjoy some of the exhibition material on www.fasttrash.org including the documentary Nature Abhors a Vacuum by Greg Whitmore.