Walt Disney counted steps
One of the most famous aspects of Disney theme park trash cans is their precise distance. Park officials ensure that each garbage receptacle is 30 feet apart. That seems like a random number, it’s another integral part of the Walt Disney mythology.
During the early days of Disneyland, its creator was passionate about keeping the park spotless. To streamline the cleaning process, he examined user behavior. Through his own tests and the observations of others, he noticed that guests would carry their own garbage for up to 30 feet. After that, they’d throw their trash on the ground, figuring that some cast member would pick it up.
Yes, Walt Disney World keeps trash cans within a set range of 30 feet due to anecdotal research done by their founder during the mid-1950s. When Walt Disney World opened, loyal cast members honored the belief of their deceased boss. Even after decades of trying to improve clean-up, this philosophy has remained in place as it seems like the best guesstimate ever of consumer trash behavior.
Walt Disney World is full of tubes
No part of the construction of Walt Disney World has created as many conspiracy theories as the Utilidors. Because cast members are so loyal in protecting the secrets of this underground dwelling, few pictures and videos are available. Also, it’s not truly underground but rather on the first floor. Magic Kingdom is actually on the second floor by design.
The ground floor is where Disney hides all of its secrets and, yes, garbage is one of them. Should you ever walk through the Utilidors, something only possible via Disney guided tour, you’d see giant tubes above your head. They look like standard pipes, only they have a different purpose.
Disney uses this tubing as part of an intricate trash service, one that’s only duplicated at one other place in the United States. Called the Automated Vacuum Assisted Collection (AVAC), it seemed like the trash disposal system in the future during the late 1960s. Several European urban developers embraced the premise, but only two American locations were similarly daring. One is at Roosevelt Island, New York, while Magic Kingdom hosts the other.
Comments
Okay, that was actually a very interesting and informative read! And the Disney Dan trash can video was delightful. Thanks for this deep dive into Disney's garbage-- I hope they keep striving to keep pollution to a minimum.