Dive Brief:

• A landfill in Sheridan, CO is now a bustling shopping center. The 125-acre site was cleaned up and developed as part of an urban renewal project beginning in 2003. 
• Contamination test were conducted in 2004, and the source of the pollution removed — along with 250 million yards of waste.
• The project, River Point at Sheridan, cost $130 million to develop, according to The Denver Post. The city will begin seeing sales tax revenue in 2039 when the bonds used to fund the development are paid off. 

Dive Insight:

The former landfill site now brings in $1.8 million in property tax revenue and an average of $173 million in retail sales per annum, according to The Denver Post. Other shuttered landfills have been transformed into areas the community can enjoy: Sites are converted into golf courses, ski slopes and neighborhood parks. Locally, the Pitkin County landfill in Colorado is tossing around the idea of a turning the site into a garden when it eventually closes.