Western Europes Langest Landfill Site Returned To Nature

THURROCK, ENGLAND - JUNE 06: Highland Cattle graze on grassland at 'Thurrock Thameside Nature Park' on June 6, 2013 in Thurrock, England. The 120 acres of grass, bramble and shrub that make up 'Thurrock Thameside Nature Park' sits on top of what was Europe's largest landfill site overlooking the Essex coastline in the Thames Estuary. Over the last 50 years six of London's borough's had been dumping their rubbish on the site, (originally a huge gravel pit), which in places is over 30 metres thick. The £2.5Million GBP restoration project run by Essex Wildlife Trust and the landfill company Cory Environmental worked to compact the rubbish before adding a thick layer of clay, known as a pie-crust, over the waste, before covering it in soil. The area which when finished will encompass 845 acres is run by the Essex Wildlife Trust and is home to an array of wildlife including, Shrill Carder Bee, Great Crested Newt, Brown Hare, Avocet, Short-eared Owl, Barn Owl and Kingfisher. (Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)