Hiriya Park, Tel-Aviv, Israel

 One of the most notorious landfills in the world is

situated right outside Tel Aviv and has been known
to Israelis for decades as "Garbage Mountain".
 This toxic garbage mound, Hiriya Mountain, could
apparently be smelled for miles, and once brimmed
with over 25 million TONS of trash, spanning a half a
mile long and over 87 yards (79.55m)above sea level.
 Today, it stands as Israel's iconic and beloved Ariel
Sharon Park as well as one of the world's largest
recycling facilities, functioning with a motto of
"making garbage beautiful."
 Every day, Hiriya sorts 3,000 tons of household
waste, 1,500 tons of construction debris and 250
tons of landscape matter, and transforms it into fuel,
fertilizer, electricity, water for irrigation, and even
garden furniture, in what may be one of the greatest
landfill transformations the world has ever seen.
 Hiriya is decreasing its carbon impact on the
environment each day, with the help of landscape
architect and urban planner Peter Latz and his
visionary design that has turned trash into treasure.
 The bioplastic is covered with layers of gravel and
one meter of clean soil, which acts as a raised bed for
new growth.
 Once construction is completed, the verdant park
will be triple the size of New York City's Central Park.
Other examples
 Mt. Trashmore, Virginia Beach

 The satirically named Mount Trashmore went from

a devastating brownfield to becoming Virginia’s most
popular park, with a children’s playground and a
world-famous skate park.
 24,000-square-foot skate park in front of packed
crowds, and the park itself attracts over one million
visitors annually.
 Situated upon mounds of compacted trash and
topped with a layer of clean soil, its lush areas span
upwards of 165 acres, with massive hills that stretch
60 feet high and cover over 800 feet of ground.
Sai Tso Wan Recreation Ground, Hong
Kong

 Sai Tso Wan’s multipurpose playground was the first

of its kind to be constructed from a landfill in Hong
Kong.
 It is also one of the greenest spaces in the region,
hosting solar panels, wind turbines, rainwater
irrigation, and recycled porous Rubbersoil.

 Its also the official training grounds of the Hong

Kong Baseball Association.
Pulau Semaku, Singapore
 Pulau Semaku, Singapore

 Although Pulau Semaku is still a fully functioning

landfill, and Singapore’s only landfill to boot, it was
opened to the public in 2005 for selected
recreational activities and still maintains bounds of
vegetation in its surroundings areas.
 Perhaps the most fascinating aspects of Pulau
Semaku are its thriving coral reefs and mangroves.
 Conscious and consistent efforts have been made to
replant and maintain the existing reefs, flora and
fauna, and wildlife continues to thrive in the site’s
mangroves and western shorelines.
Flushing Meadows, Long Island
 Flushing Meadows, Long Island

 New York’s world famous Flushing Meadows-Corona

Park is the second largest park in the city, and most
notably known for hosting the 20th century World
Fairs as well as the US Open in tennis every year, and
was once a landfill.
 Moreover, before it was a brownfield it was originally
a natural marshland that fed into Meadow Lake, the
largest freshwater lake in New York City.
 Although it’s a bit disheartening to know that the
area was once a wetland, the comeback to its current
purpose is thoroughly inspiring.