Is simply burying the past an acceptable waste-management solution? An English quarry may provide an interesting test case for reclaiming dumping sites worldwide. 

The quarry, after outliving its usefulness as a source of rock, had been used for decades as a tire dump. Tire fires are a very real and dangerous risk, as they can release massive amounts of toxins and thick black smoke, while remaining virtually unquenchable.

Plans had initially called for removing and recycling all the tires, but between the 1970s and the 1990s, approximately three million tires had filled the quarry. After removing some 8,000 tons of them, environmentalists chose to cover the remaining tires with a membrane, then a layer of shale and limestone mix, to recreate the naturally occurring area soil. 

The final stage of the project, in which participants scattered hay and seedlings across the filled in quarry, is now complete, and those involved will keep a watchful eye on it, hoping to see local wildlife return to the area. While it may irk the mind to know that waste still lies buried, if it’s safely sequestered, its impact on the surrounding environment will be minimal.