Fresh Kills Landfill
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The Fresh Kills Landfill on the New York City borough of Staten Island, was formerly the largest landfill in the world, at 2200 acres (890 hectares),[1] and was New York City's principal landfill in the second half of the 20th century. The name "Fresh Kills" refers to its location along the banks of the Fresh Kills estuary in western Staten Island.
Opened in 1948, it became one of the largest refuse heaps in human history. It also achieved the status as the highest human-made hill directly on the East Coast of the United States. Under local pressure and with support of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the landfill site was closed on March 22, 2001. However, after the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, the landfill was temporarily reopened in order to receive and process much of the debris from the destruction. Most of the debris was later removed and sold for scrap.
Starting in 2003, the site was planned to be transformed into reclaimed wetlands, recreational facilities and landscaped public parkland, the largest expansion of the New York City parks since the development of the chain of parks in the Bronx during the 1890s. In January, 2005, Staten Island Borough president James Molinaro announced plans to open three roads leading out of the former landfill to regular traffic, as part of an effort to ease the road congestion for which Staten Island has become notorious in recent years. Construction on the actual park is expected to start after the completion of environmental and last use reviews at the end of 2007. The three-phased development of the park is expected to last 30 years.
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