FreshkillsPark / My Park Plan

By Planner:

www.freshkillspark.org Landfill to Park Timeline

1934 The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the city must stop ocean dumping.

1948 is established by Robert Moses and the City of .

1971 After other landfills in New York City are closed, Fresh Kills receives nearly half the city’s trash.

1986 Fresh Kills is accepting nearly all of the 22,00 tons of garbage produced each day in New York City.

1996 Governor Pataki, Mayor Giuliani, and Borough President announce that Fresh Kills will close by the end of 2001.

2001 Fresh Kills Landfill receives its last barge of municipal solid waste on March 22nd. The City of New York announces the start of the International Design Competition for Freshkills Park. Estimate the Date

Guess how long it takes for these common objects to decompose. a. b. c. d.

e. f. g. Answer Bank

1 year 30-40 years

13 years 250 years unknown 10-20 years h. i. j. 13 years 2-4 weeks 2-5 weeks 250 years 50-80 years unknown 100 years 1-5 months k. l. m. 200-500 5 years years

unknown

n. o. p.

Answers

2-5 Weeks Weeks 2-5 100 Years Years 100 p. o. Weeks 1-5 n. Unknown m. Unknown Tin Can: Tin Peel: Banana T-Shirt: Cotton Bottle: Glass

100 years l. l. years 100 k. years 13 j. years 50-80 Plastic Six-Pack Holder: Holder: Six-Pack Plastic Can: Aluminum Wood: Painted Sole: Boot Rubber

Unknown i. i. Unknown h. years 5 g. years 10-20 P f. years 30-40 Plastic Bottle: Plastic Plate: Paper Bag: Garbage lastic Fabric: Nylon

250 years e. e. years 250 d. years 3 c. year 1 Sock: Wool b. weeks 2-4 a. Plastic Cup: Cup: Plastic Container: Film Plastic Paper: Leaf Loose Landfill Design

1. What do you think happens to the park mounds as the garbage decomposes?

2. As a park planner would you build on top of the mounds? Why or why not? Habitats

Tree Swallow Wetlands

Hawk

Raccoon

Fox Forest

Great Blue Heron

Rabbit

Turtle

Grassland

Dragonfly

Owl Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Consider what you have learned at home, at school, and at Freshkills Park about waste issues, compost, and recycling.

Why is it important to reduce, reuse, and recycle?

List one way we could encourage each of the Three R’s at home, at school, or at parks.

Reduce:

Reuse:

Recycle: Make Your Mark on the Park

These are some ideas for Freshkills Park:

What do you want to do at Freshkills Park? Freshkills Park

www.freshkillspark.org