New York City creates around 14 million tons of waste annually, most of which ends up at waste disposal sites including landfills, (Sylvan, Municipal Solid Waste in New York City). This creates a host of problems–limited landfill space, increased levels of greenhouse gases produced by sanitation vehicles, and contamination of soil and water supply. While studies have been done on garbage contained in landfills and households (U.S. EPA, Municipal Solid Waste Generation, 2014) this study surveys “garbage” in Prospect Park along four, 20 meter long, randomly selected transects. At the outset, the majority of the waste found relates to food consumption (Marsh, Food Packaging and Its Environmental Impact) and to family-oriented activities. Toys and party items were found, indicating the presence of children. A variety of different people visit Prospect for different reasons, as seen by the variety of the solid waste. Prospect Park sees a lot of unnecessary pollution because a lot of the items we found, such as plastics, could be recycled (Murphy, Song et. al., Biodegradable and Compostable Alternatives) Otherwise, these items are non-biodegradable and contribute to pollution (Murphy et. al). Future studies can focus on developing an effective cleanup program at Prospect Park to maintain a safe, clean environment for visitors
http://eportfolios.macaulay.cuny.edu/seminar3posters/files/gravity_forms/1-f14ea90e75361cb91bd42582a860ee01/2014/12/Garbage-Human-Activity-in-Prospect-Park.pdf
Muriel Dervich, Jonah Estess, Merlyn George, Carina Gomez, Danielle Zalta
Rebecca Boger, Margaret Galvan
Brooklyn College
garbage, Prospect Park, human activity
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