New York capped what was once one of the world’s largest garbage dumps; its 2,200 acres are becoming grasslands and wetlands that support rare nesting birds

For more than half a century, New York City’s garbage ended up at Fresh Kills on Staten Island, a landfill so vast that it was once considered the largest in the world. At its peak, mountains of waste towered over the surrounding marshes, emitting strong odours and attracting swarms of gulls. However, today, the same area depicts a very different story. The former landfill has been transformed into Freshkills Park, a 2,200-acre expanse of grasslands, wetlands and recreational spaces where rare birds now nest atop carefully engineered landfill mounds. According to the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation , the project is being considered as one of the world’s most ambitious examples of ecological restoration, illustrating how heavily degraded urban landscapes can be reclaimed for public and wildlife use.

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