Spaarnwoude Park, located close to Amsterdam, is one of the first redevelopment projects by Afvalzorg. With its rich flora and fauna, and offering spaces for all forms of outdoor sports and leisure activities, it welcomes thousands of visitors every year. Few people realise that beneath this beautiful recreational area lies an old landfill site owned by Afvalzorg.
In this area, a number of large hills have been formed using landfill materials. The hills offer a multitude of recreational opportunities, including an indoor ski slope, a mountain bike trail, a climbing wall and a viewpoint. In summer it is an important festival site, attracting thousands of visitors who revel in dancing and jumping around on what used to be a waste disposal site.
The synthetic landscape merges smoothly into the surrounding 3000 hectares of parkland. The only difference is that Afvalzorg closely monitors the area that used to be a landfill site for any signs of contaminants being released into the environment.
This location provides the perfect example of why leisure activities at a former landfill are fully acceptable.
