Architecture and the Politics of Waste: From Fresh Kills to Global Waste Colonialism
In 1948, Fresh Kills Landfill was created by Robert Moses on Staten Island, selected for its inexpensive marshland. By 1955, it had become the largest landfill worldwide, reaching a daily peak of 29,000 tons in 1991. It was closed in 2001, covering an area of 2,200 acres. A competition held in 2001 was won by James Corner Field Operations to convert it into Fresh Kills Park. Globally, approximately two billion tonnes of municipal solid waste are produced each year, with estimates suggesting this will rise to 3.5 billion by 2050. The U.S., which accounts for 12% of municipal waste despite having only 4% of the world's population, has not ratified the Basel Convention (1989), which governs hazardous waste trade. The World Bank anticipates waste will increase from 2.56 billion tonnes in 2022 to 3.86 billion by 2050.
Key facts
- Fresh Kills Landfill was established in 1948 by Robert Moses on Staten Island and became the world's largest landfill by 1955.
- At its 1991 peak, Fresh Kills received up to 29,000 tons of refuse per day and covered 2,200 acres by 2001.
- James Corner Field Operations won a 2001 competition to design Fresh Kills Park, with a thirty-year master plan called Lifescape.
- Global municipal solid waste generation is about two billion tonnes per year and is projected to reach 3.5 billion by 2050.
- The U.S. generates 12% of global municipal waste despite having 4% of the world's population.
- Around five million tonnes of plastic waste are exported annually, with 71% originating from ten high-income countries.
- The Basel Convention, adopted in 1989, has not been ratified by the United States.
- The World Bank's What a Waste 3.0 report (2026) projects waste to grow from 2.56 billion tonnes in 2022 to 3.86 billion by 2050.
Entities
Artists
- Robert Moses
- James Corner Field Operations
- Diogo Borges Ferreira
- Robert Bullard
- Alice Mah
- Grace Akese
- Neil Smith
- William Rathje
- Erick van Egeraat
- Tim Van de Velde
- Chester Higgins, Jr.
- Muntaka Chasant
- C.P. Baldé
- E. D’Angelo
- V. Luda
- O. Deubzer
- R. Kuehr
Institutions
- ArchDaily
- Fresh Kills Landfill
- Fresh Kills Park
- James Corner Field Operations
- World Bank
- United Nations Institute for Training and Research
- Basel Action Network
- Grist
- University of Arizona
- NYC Department of Parks and Recreation
- USEPA Environmental Protection Agency
- U.S. National Archives and Records Administration
- European Union
- Basel Convention
- United Nations
Locations
- Staten Island
- New York
- United States
- Roskilde
- Denmark
- Copenhagen
- Munich
- Germany
- Lisbon
- Portugal
- Accra
- Ghana
- Agbogbloshie
- Korle Lagoon
- Nigeria
- Haiti
- Philadelphia
- Mexico
- Malaysia
- India
- Vietnam
- China
- Indonesia
- Thailand
- Philippines
- Turkey
- Kenya
- Tanzania
- Uganda
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- South Asia
- Vienna
- Austria