Mount Trashmore is a popular local park in Virginia Beach, Virginia, which stretches for 165 acres. The park attracts over one million visitors per year and features playgrounds, amusement rides, walking trails, two lakes for fishing, picnic areas, and a skateboard park. None of this, except for perhaps the park's name, seems odd at first.

When you travel to the park, you first notice the grassy mountain in the center of the park, which is striking in contrast to the flat, sandy topography of the rest of the area. How was the park created? Is Mount Trashmore natural or is it man made?

Mount Trashmore, a manmade mountain over 60 feet high and 800 feet long, is an example of landfill reuse. 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.

The experiment at Mount Trashmore was so successful that another abandoned landfill is currently being converted into a recreational area. That park is scheduled to open in 2015.