Metropolitan Compost Islands

'Green Loop' is a proposed network of dual-purpose composting hubs and public parks for the city of New York. It is the brainchild of New York architecture firm Present Architecture.

The Green Loop is essentially a collection of ten islands -- at least one in each borough of the city -- containing a composting facility with an elevated public park. The composting facilities would process organic waste into compost, while the elevated public spaces could accommodate parks, recreation centers and educational facilities.

With New York City producing over 14 million tons of trash and offering less open space per person that most major North American cities, the Green Loop aims to kill two birds with one stone. Organic waste makes up 30% of all residential waste, and composting it would help reduce greenhouse gas emissions while alleviating traffic and pollution problems caused by trucking the garbage to out-of-state landfills. Meanwhile, the elevated public park spaces would add 125 acres of public park land.