Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Mt. Trashmore









Yes you heard me right, "Mount Trashmore". We spent Sunday visiting this cute city park located in Virginia Beach. Although it will probably be our last visit, just due to over crowding... I have to say, this abandoned landfill turned city park really did surprise me. This supposedly World-renowned park spans 165 acres, with the hill standing over 60 feet high, and over 800 feet long. The park was actually built by converting a local abandoned landfill into the pristine recreational area it is today. The park, touted to be the first of its kind worldwide, was conceived during the 1960s and opened to the public in 1973. Units of trash and clean soil, compacted to a density of 100 pounds per cubic foot, form the mountain. The layers of dirt and trash were further compacted with bulldozers, and covered under an additional 6 feet of clean soil. Recently, the mountain was covered with rubber to prevent water runoff and ground water contamination. Since trash emits methane gas (a flammable gas) as it decomposes, the creators of the park made seven locations at the ground level for methane gas to escape. Chemical analysis of the soil is done regularly to determine if any contamination is present.

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