Fresh Kills Landfill facts for kids
The Fresh Kills Landfill was a very large area in Staten Island, New York City, where a lot of garbage was buried. It opened in 1947 as a temporary place to put trash. Before that, the area was a swamp. Over time, it became New York City's main landfill and was once considered the largest man-made structure on Earth. The landfill officially closed in 2001.
At its busiest in the 1960s, about 20 large barges, each carrying 650 tons of garbage, arrived at the landfill every day. By 2001, the piles of trash were even taller than the Statue of Liberty.
Fresh Kills and the World Trade Center
After the sad events of the September 11 attacks, the Fresh Kills Landfill played an important role. About one-third of the materials and debris from the World Trade Center site was brought here. Around two million tons of this material was taken to the landfill. Workers carefully sorted through it to find anything that could help with investigations or be returned to families.
From Landfill to Park: Freshkills Park
Today, the site of the former Fresh Kills Landfill is being transformed into a beautiful new public space called Freshkills Park. This huge project began in 2008. When finished, Freshkills Park will be even larger than Central Park, another famous park in New York City. The construction of this new park is expected to take about 30 years in total. It's an amazing example of how a former landfill can be turned into a green space for everyone to enjoy.
Images for kids
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A D7 Tractor with two Athey Wagons dumping, 1973.
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Worker combing through debris from the World Trade Center at the Fresh Kills landfill; Manhattan is visible in the distance
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A depiction of the future Freshkills Park
