Dive Summary:

• A pneumatic tube system built 40 years ago still sits under Roosevelt Island in New York City; researchers have studied the system and concluded that if the system were recreated in Manhattan, hauling costs would be reduced, diversion rates lowered and less pollution released from sanitation vehicles.
• To use the pneumatic tube trash system, users would place trash into chutes located on the street or in a building, which would be carried at a lightning-fast velocity through a system of tubes underground, eventually arriving at a plant for processing.
• To reduce the cost associated with the project, researchers have raised the possibility of installing pneumatic tubes in conjunction with existing construction projects, such as the underground work being done on the Second Avenue Subway tunnel or the High Line viaduct.

From the article:

... Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently announced  the expansion of an organic waste recycling program, which is a far messier and more expensive type of collection than traditional garbage pickup. “We think the tubes are very timely," (architect and project manager on the CUNY study) Juliette Spertus adds, "because it’s not clear how the city is actually going to do that.” ...