Once serving as the final destination for refuse, Freshkills Park in the US and Ockendon Solar Farm in the UK have been transformed into thriving ecological havens and renewable energy hubs.
The active landfill on Singapore’s Pulau Semakau, meanwhile, draws visitors with some natural attractions.
Semakau Landfill
Despite being the site of an active landfill, Pulau Semakau is a haven for nature lovers, bird watchers and star gazers, according to Singapore’s Environmental and Sustainability Ministry.
This is where mangroves, coral reefs and seagrass meadows also thrive.
To prevent leachate contamination, the island is surrounded by impermeable membrane, rocks and marine clay.
The landfill started operating in 1999 and by 2005 was opened for guided tours, with bookings made directly through the National Environment Agency.
Freshkills Park
The Freshkills Park website states that the 890.3ha site on Staten Island was one of the world’s largest landfills before its closing in 2001.
Formerly a stream and freshwater estuary, it was established in 1948 and served as a dump for household waste collected in New York.
Other than scheduled tours and events, the Freshkills Park project site is not publicly accessible as transformation is still ongoing.
However, visitors can take part in activities like kayaking, photography, hiking, volunteer projects and group tours in its calendar of events.
Ockendon Solar Farm
Infrastructure investor NTR said its Ockendon Solar Farm in Essex was once a rubbish dump before it became a renewable energy powerhouse.
Construction began in 2022 and the facility commenced operations in 2024.
The 80.9ha site houses 107,000 bi-facial solar modules which can generate enough electricity for some 15,000 homes.
To get the solar power onto the electrical grid, the project required the construction of an 132kv 90MW on-site substation.
This facility connects to the wider grid via 5.2km of high voltage underground cables. — By GRACE CHEN
