STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — It’s been 25 years since Staten Islanders accomplished something few thought was possible — closing the former Fresh Kills Landfill on the borough’s West Shore.
In the two and a half decades since, what was once the largest dumping ground for trash anywhere in the world has been transformed into a sprawling park that’s home to hundreds of species of animals.
The former landfill first opened in the late 1940s and over the years grew into a heaping mound of trash that could be seen — and smelled — by anyone in the area.
It took decades of advocacy from the borough’s elected officials — and a lawsuit brought against the city by former Borough President Guy Molinari — to get the landfill closed in 2001. It was briefly reopened following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, serving as a sifting ground for remains in the Ground Zero debris. However, 10 months later it was closed for good…