Pneumatics

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Customer Contact Center

MyNYCHA

Apartment Inspections

Admissions and Continued Occupancy Policy

Clean NYCHA

Community Health

Digital Vans

Domestic Violence

Emergency Management

Heating Season

Homeownership Program

Asbestos

Lead Safety

Lead-Based Paint Inspections

Micromobility

Mold Busters

NYCHA Journal

Parking

Pay Rent

Permanent Exclusion

Pest Control

Policies & Procedures

Repairs Process

Residents Vote

REES

Reasonable Accommodation

Relocation Services

Senior Programs

Smoke-Free NYCHA


Polo Grounds Towers New Trash System

NYCHA is bringing a New Trash System to Polo Grounds Towers! This new system, also known as a pneumatic waste collection system, will replace your building’s interior compactor with a system of underground tubes, which will transport waste from your trash chutes and recycling rooms away from your building to the Terminal Building where the waste will be stored for pickup by the Department of Sanitation. This underground waste system will keep waste away from apartments, deter pests, and create a safer, cleaner environment.

The New Trash System will be less physically demanding for the Polo Grounds caretakers and will reduce the number of vehicles in pedestrian areas. Additionally, since this system is underground and operates with a powerful vacuum, there should be fewer pickup delays, as waste removal will proceed regardless of storms, snow, staffing shortages, or holidays.

Read more about the Polo Grounds pneumatic system and workshops conducted with Polo Grounds residents here. Want to know more? Fill out this form with any questions or comments you have about the New Trash System, or if you’d like to be informed of any upcoming construction updates.

The Polo Grounds Pneumatic System in the news:

https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/video/nycha-building-gets-new-state-of-the-art-trash-system/

https://pix11.com/news/local-news/manhattan/give-it-a-try-nychas-trash-terminal-goes-live-eliminating-rats-and-pests/

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How does the system work?

For trash: Continue to throw your trash (13-gallon bags or smaller) in your building’s trash chute. Once the storage at the bottom of the chute is full, the pneumatic system is turned on and the discharge valve opens. Bags of trash larger than 13 gallons, recyclables, bulky or irregularly shaped items like furniture, broom sticks, fixtures, appliances, rugs, and construction materials must not be placed in the chute. Using trash bags that are 13 gallons or smaller and throwing out your trash daily will help deter pests and odors in your home.

For recyclables: You will be able to bring recyclables to a new recycling room, located on the ground floor of your building. Recycling includes paper, cardboard, metal, glass, plastic, cartons, and electronics. You can bring your food scraps and other organic waste to Compost Power in front of Building 1.

When the fans at the New Central Facility- also known as the Terminal Building turn on, they generate a powerful vacuum. Trash from building chutes and recyclables from the recycling room are carried at up to 60 mph to the Terminal building which will be located in the South parking lot.

At the Terminal building, trash and recycling are compacted directly into sealed containers and the exhaust air is filtered and released.

The Department of Sanitation will pick up the full containers of waste and bring them off site.

Project Updates

This project has a planned completion date of Spring 2025.

See construction updates below. You can also fill out our feedback form to receive occasional project updates via email.

Quarter 1 2024 Construction Updates (January 1, 2024 to March 31, 2024)

Underground pipe installation from Terminal Building structure to Building 3 & 4 is complete and is underway to Buildings 1 & 2. Mechanical equipment installation at the Terminal Building is underway.

Quarter 2 2024 Construction Updates (April 1, 2024, to June 30, 2024)

Trenching and installation over the MTA tunnel is complete and continues towards Buildings 1 and 2. Construction inside the Terminal Building continue with electrical and mechanical work. Roofing, fire protection work, pouring of concrete pads and installation of compactors are complete.

Quarter 3 2024 Construction Updates (July 1, 2024, to September 30, 2024)

The installation of the transformer and switchgear is complete, and the Terminal Building is connected to permanent power and start up and commissioning of the pneumatic equipment began. The green roof and irrigation system at the Terminal Building was completed. The trenching and installation of pneumatic pipe for Building 1 is complete and began for Building 2. Compactor room demolition and renovation work began in Building 3.

Quarter 4 2024 Construction Updates (October 1, 2024, to December 31, 2024)

Trenching for the pneumatic pipe to Building 2 is complete. Pneumatic equipment startup and commissioning complete. Building 3 and Building 4 chutes have been connected to the system and are in use by residents!

Last updated: 12/31/2024

Frequently Asked Questions

When will this system be constructed?

Construction began in spring 2023 and will be completed by spring 2025.

How often will the containers of trash be picked up?

The containers will be picked up from the collection facility at Polo Grounds about three times a week.

Will this system be ﬁre resistant?

Yes. Trash chute doors on each ﬂoor and in the new recycling rooms will be self-closing, made of ﬁre-rated steel. The existing trash chute is ﬁre-rated masonry construction. If burning material goes into the chute or a ﬁre starts at the bottom, heat sensors at the base of the chute will activate a sprinkler system and put out the ﬁre. The transport pipe section, made of heavy steel pipe, will be downstream of waste valves in each of the four Polo Grounds buildings. It will be covered in a two hour-rated, ﬁre-resistant covering. The vacuum inside the pipe will extinguish most ﬁres, but if burning material enters the pneumatic transport pipe, the equipment will shut off valves to contain the ﬁre so it is not able to spread.

What other safety measures will be put in place?

In addition to ﬁre safety measures, new Trash chute doors will also have an interconnected locking mechanism so that, as needed, staff can lock Trash chute doors on all 30 ﬂoors from a touch screen at the base of the chute. The recycling rooms will be secured as discussed in the following response.

How will the recycling room be secured?

The recycling room door will be lockable. The room will also be covered by two CCTV cameras and will have bright LED lighting and a window so that the interior of the room is visible from the lobby. The plan calls for a key fob lock so that residents can use the same key that they use to enter the building to access the recycling room. The recycling room can be secured so that it is only accessed during certain hours. The ﬁnal design for securing the room will be determined with property management and resident input.

Will this system be accessible?

Inside the new ground-ﬂoor recycling rooms, Trash chute doors will be ADA and wheelchair accessible. New Trash chute doors installed on each ﬂoor will be ADA accessible to the extent possible based on existing site conditions. Signage for people with blindness or vision impairment can be added.

How big are the Trash chute doors? Will the system accommodate large items?

The new Trash chute doors are 15.5” tall by 14.5” wide so that 13-gallon kitchen trash bags will ﬁt but include features to prevent bulky objects such as broom handles or rolls of carpeting from clogging the chute.

How often will the chute be cleaned?

The gravity chute will be cleaned as needed. If the pneumatic transport pipes need to be cleaned, a procedure similar to cleaning sewer lines can be administered.

What if you accidentally drop something down the chute, like keys?

For safety reasons, NYCHA staff are not permitted to sort through material that falls down the existing trash chutes. Anything that is dropped down the chute would be lost. The same would be true after the pneumatic system is installed.

Will this system attract pests like rats and raccoons?

No. Chutes will be emptied automatically, multiple times a day, so trash will be continuously removed from the building. In addition, the system is completely sealed. The trash chute will connect directly to the transport pipe, which will connect directly to the container at the collection facility.

Working Toward a Clean NYCHA