Fresh Kills vs. Freshkills Park

The Fresh Kills Landfill used to be the biggest landfill in the world, covering 2,200 acres in the New York borough of Staten Island in the United States. It opened in 1948 as a temporary landfill, but quickly became a much-needed key part of the New York City waste management system. At the peak of its operation, in 1986, Fresh Kills received 29,000 tons of residential waste per day.

Since October 2008, construction began for the landfill to be transformed into a recreational park, estimated to be completed in 30 years in multiple phases. When completed, it will be three times the size of Central Park (843-acre), filled with activities such as nature trails, horseback riding, canoeing, mountain biking... If you read our (In)visible Waste magazine March Issue featuring Carl Zimring, he had expressed some of his opinions and concerns on this redevelopment project. 

Here’s a summary: he’s generally supportive of the idea because it’s for the greater good, but some of his concerns include: 1. Whether it’s okay to build recreational land on top of cemetery (9/11) 2. Anaerobic digestion will happen when organic matter is sealed off, how do they capture the methane? 3. General toxins and subsidence issues.

With all that in mind, come and experience what I saw, touched, and smelled as I walked along the parameter of Fresh Kills (I wasn’t allowed in due to limited access at this point, but I’ll go again in the future).

Approaching

The wood chips path we built for the upcoming Earth Day Festival

There's a distinct garbage smell
despite the blooming flowers

Most of the area is still not redeveloped. But there's not a single trash in site. The old landfill was all covered up with new soil, and is now a Shrubland.

You see that distanced factory-looking place? I took quite a few photos of it but it's still too far from me to take a good look. I can't find it on the map either. I wonder what it is?

On my way home

The park still has very limited access at this point. So I couldn't go in, unfortunately. I took the above photographs by walking on the park's parameter, indicated by the red path. 

Behind the scenes

(Use computer/laptop for best viewing experience)