this former landfill with millions of tons of waste is unrecognizable today • POSITIVR

It’s hard to imagine under this green landscape, millions of tons of waste of all kinds. And yet, only a few years ago, the park FreshKills was indeed one of the largest landfills in the world. Close-up on this bluffing metamorphosis.

Since 1948, Staten Island, south of Manhattan, was transported a multitude of debris, including that of the World Trade Center. With more than 890 hectares of land, the FreshKills absorbed nearly 29,000 tonnes of rubbish daily. A considerable figure which, of course, had a harmful impact on the environment.

Some time after September 11, 2001, the landfill finally closed its doors to consider a completely different fate for this place previously synonymous with a dumping ground. Today, the site is undergoing a transformation. The goal? Make this place the new green lung of New York. To achieve this major mission, the work was entrusted to the company Field Operations.

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Did you know that the Fresh Kills site was once a network of waterways with acres of tidal wetlands? As far back as the 1800s, wetlands were considered by many a hinderence and by the 1900s it was common to fill them with other materials, like waste, even with the intention of building. In 1948, Fresh Kills Landfill opened, not knowing the ecological value of the habitat. In 1951, Robert Moses, NYC Parks commisioner, outlined a plan to develop the site after the wetlands were filled. Instead, the landfill remained opened for 50 years before being reclaimed and transformed. NYC parks has restored 360 acres of wetlands at Freshkills Park. Wetlands from fresh to salt water are fascinating and very biodiverse habitats, and they exist throughout NYC. #wetlands #restoration #conservation #ecology #urbanecology #biodiversity #habitat #landscape #landscapephotography #nature #naturephotography #naturebreak #serene #bluespace #greenspace #onsatatenisland #virtualsi #explorenyc #parksathome #nycfromhome

A post shared by Freshkills Park (@freshkillspark) on Jul 16, 2020 at 8:58 am PDT

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A gigantic metamorphosis

The start of the project officially started in 2008. Goats were imported as an ecological alternative, while dTrucks filled with soil were used to cover plastic sheeting which found on the rubbish heaps. But obviously, at a depth of a few meters, thousands of tonnes of non-combustible waste continue to decompose.

But in the park FreshKills, Nothing is lost, everything is transformed. Thus, a pipeline and drainage network was designed to recover the gases. The goal ? Using methane to heat nearly 22,000 New York homes, as Ted Nabavi from the New York sanitation department explains to our colleagues in Curbed : « We are probably the only facility in the United States where the gas is purified and goes directly to consumers. Nowhere is a landfill that contains methane of this quality. In addition, renewable energies will have their place in this former landfill, such as geothermal, solar and wind energy. This new green space is therefore preparing to become a true model of sustainable development.

Ultimately, that is to say by 2035, this large natural park, with an area three times the size of Central Park, will host a multitude of sports and cultural facilities: jogging tracks, performance halls , walking trails and even water points for canoeing and kayaking. In addition, a memorial in honor of the victims of September 11 will be inaugurated.

Thanks to this beneficial transformation for the preservation of flora and fauna, the FreshKills now home to 200 different species of wild animals, including osprey, tree swallows, white-tailed deer, the northern snapping turtle or the American kestrel.

An excellent project which reconnects man with nature. For more information, go to here.

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