{
  "id": 2727717,
  "title": "Garbage hill in Virginia Beach became America's first landfill park",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/23/garbage-hill-in-virginia-beach-became-americas-first-landfill-park",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-23T05:27:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/in-the-early-1970s-virginia-beach-compacted-640000-tons-of-garbage-into-a-60-foot-hill-the-dump-became-americas-first-landfill-park-and-now-spans-165-acres/articleshow/133406812.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Virginia Beach, a towering hill once stood as the city's most iconic landmark, born from an unlikely source: a mountain of garbage. The 640,000-ton mountain, later known as Mount Trashmore Park, transformed a landfill into a public space spanning 165 acres, complete with lakes, trails, playgrounds, and recreational facilities. The City of Virginia Beach claims Mount Trashmore as the nation's first landfill park.\n\nTransformed from a mundane waste site, Mount Trashmore emerged during a time when Virginia Beach needed an answer for managing substantial municipal waste. Rather than abandoning the landfill, the city devised a plan to reshape it. The garbage was compressed and buried under soil, forming a massive artificial hill, thus giving birth to Mount Trashmore, which soared about 60 feet above the surrounding landscape.\n\nThe project was not merely a cover-up for the old landfill; it was an ambitious initiative to reshape the site into a recreational area. The landfill's conversion into Mount Trashmore Park in 1973 marked an unusual example of landfill reclamation and provided the city with a vast recreational area. Covering approximately 165 acres, Mount Trashmore Park features two man-made lakes – Lake Trashmore and Lake Windsor – two hiking paths encircling the mountain and lakes, and lush greenery.\n\nLake Trashmore, a freshwater lake, allows fishing under Virginia's fishing regulations, while Kayaks are allowed at Lake Windsor, a brackish-water lake. Trails around the mountain and lakes provide excellent recreational opportunities. The main mountain is complemented by a smaller mound called Encore Hill, further enhancing the park's unique character.\n\nOne of the park's biggest attractions is Kids Cove Playground, a 26,000 square feet play area designed for children of all abilities, including a wheelchair swing. Additional facilities include skating, BMX riding areas, and picnic spaces. The combination of trails, playgrounds, lakes, and recreational facilities has converted the former landfill into a beloved community space.\n\nThe redevelopment of Mount Trashmore showcases how former waste sites can be repurposed when combined with redevelopment, environmental management, and public recreation. The park's name, a playful nod to its origin, now symbolizes a substantial transformation: over 640,000 tons of garbage were compressed into an artificial hill that became part of a 165-acre public park. Nowadays, Mount Trashmore is a favorite destination for walking, playing, exercising, fishing, picnicking, and enjoying the outdoors. Few modern parks reveal their history as clearly in their name. What began as a waste disposal problem evolved into one of Virginia Beach's most well-known recreational spaces – a landfill that found a second life as a park.",
  "summary": "Mount Trashmore Park in Virginia Beach serves as a unique example of transformation, evolving from a large landfill into a vibrant 165-acre recreational area. Opening its gates in 1973, this park now boasts serene lakes, extensive trails, and playgrounds, showcasing innovative landfill reclamation practices. Its picturesque setting attracts visitors who appreciate the blend of nature and…",
  "key_points": [
    "640,000-ton mountain transformed into Mount Trashmore Park",
    "Park features lakes, trails, playgrounds, and recreational facilities",
    "Named landfill park symbolizes transformation from waste site"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The transformation of Mount Trashmore from a landfill to a 165-acre park redefines waste management and urban planning, turning a former environmental liability into a beloved community asset.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}