Ilmala
Ilmala railway station ( fi, Ilmalan rautatieasema, sv, Ilmala järnvägsstation) is a railway station on the VR commuter rail network located in northern Helsinki, Finland. It is approximately north of Helsinki Central railway station. The VR ...
,
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
between 1949 and 1963. It was the main dumping ground of the city at the time, one of the “big three”. The other two were the Iso-Huopalahti dumping ground and the Vuosaari dumping ground. It was located at the present site of the Ilmala Railyard. Before 1949 it was the main dumping ground of the
Finnish State Railways
VR-Group Plc ( fi, VR-Yhtymä Oyj, sv, VR-Group Abp), commonly known as VR, is a government-owned railway company in Finland. VR's most important function is the operation of Finland's passenger rail services with 250 long-distance and 800 co ...
. Technically the site is part of the
Pasila
Pasila (; sv, Böle, ) is a part of Helsinki, Finland, that is both a central-northern neighbourhood and district, bordering the areas of Alppila to the south, the Central Park ( Keskuspuisto) to the west, and Vallila to the east.
Pasila is a ...
neighbourhood.
Household waste
Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also refer specifically to food waste, ...
and
industrial waste
Industrial waste is the waste produced by industrial activity which includes any material that is rendered useless during a manufacturing process such as that of factories, mills, and mining operations. Types of industrial waste include dirt and ...
were taken to the site, and the place was not guarded.
History
Finnish State Railways dumping ground
The Finnish State Railways first used the site to dispose of its used cross ties, sinking them into the local
marsh
A marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous rather than woody plant species.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p Marshes can often be found at ...
.
City of Helsinki dumping ground
Helsinki started using the site as its dumping ground in 1949. At first, the area was filled from the east, and the process continued towards the west. Many fires occurred at the site, and sometimes even the old railroad ties underneath caught fire. It is estimated that around of waste was taken to the site. The area of the site was .
Finnish State Railways railyard
The use of the site as a dumping ground came to an end when the Iso-Huopalahti dumping ground started operating. Land was brought to the area, and it was levelled into a sand field. Then the area was left to settle for seven years, after which, in 1970, the first tracks and a hall for passenger cars were built. The area became the
railroad depot
A train station, railway station, railroad station or depot is a Rail transport, railway facility where trains stop to load or unload passenger train, passengers, freight rail transport, freight or both. It generally consists of at least one r ...
for the passenger cars of the State Railways.
Later a sorting station for the
Finnish Postal Service
Posti Group Oyj (previously Suomen Posti during 1994–2007 and Itella during 2007–2015), trading internationally as Posti Group Corporation, is the main Finnish postal service delivering mail and parcels in Finland. The State of Finland is t ...
as well as a
depot
Depot ( or ) may refer to:
Places
* Depot, Poland, a village
* Depot Island, Kemp Land, Antarctica
* Depot Island, Victoria Land, Antarctica
* Depot Island Formation, Greenland
Brands and enterprises
* Maxwell Street Depot, a restaurant in ...
for
Pohjolan Liikenne
Oy Pohjolan Liikenne Ab (''Northern Transport'' in English) is the road services division of the state-owned VR Group. It is a major bus and road haulage operator in Finland.
Freight
The company has three freight companies / business divisions:
* ...
was built in the western fringes of the area. From time to time, the ground has caved in, and during the 2000s major repairs of the area were required, as holes have appeared in the ground and the tracks have sunk in places. The city of Helsinki has estimated the repair works will not incur significant costs.
The site at present
The area is now in use that resembles industrial use, and the dumping ground can not be discerned any longer. The waste has decomposed completely.
Despite the city's estimates that the area will not give rise to significant costs, a scientist who studied the topic has stated:
Even though the dumping ground has officially not existed for decades the site still contained wrecked cars in 2006 when photos of the site were posted to the internet.
Present effects on the surrounding areas
A lake, Huopalahdenjärvi, existed at the site of the dumping ground in the 19th century. The waters of this area, now known as
Pohjois-Pasila
Pohjois-Pasila (Finnish), Norra Böle (Swedish) is a neighborhood of Helsinki, Finland.
Posti Group, the Finnish mail corporation, has its head office in Pohjois-Pasila.Kumpulanpuro brook into
Kumpula
Kumpula ( sv, Gumtäkt) is a verdant neighbourhood in Helsinki, bordered by Eastern Pasila to the west, Vallila to the south, Käpylä and Koskela to the north and Toukola and Arabianranta to the east. As of January 1, 2003, Kumpula had approxim ...
and into the sea in
Vanhankaupunginselkä
Vanhankaupunginselkä (also called ''Vanhankaupunginlahti'', sv, Gammelstadsfjärden) is a bay area which together with parts of adjoining Viikki district constitute a natural conservation zone near downtown Helsinki in the southern part of Finl ...
Bay.
Earlier these waters were directed to an
industrial water treatment
There are many uses of water in industry and, in most cases, the used water also needs treatment to render it fit for re-use or disposal. Raw water entering an industrial plant often needs treatment to meet tight quality specifications to be of use ...
plant in the city, but since May 2011, the waters have been allowed to empty into the Kumpulanpuro. Occasionally contaminated water will overflow into nearby areas such as the Vallila
allotment garden
An allotment (British English), or in North America, a community garden, is a plot of land made available for individual, non-commercial gardening or growing food plants, so forming a kitchen garden away from the residence of the user. Such plot ...
, causing problems.
The construction of an urban runoff park in the Isonniitty Park area in Kumpula has begun, and the former “recreational and playground grass is just a memory now”. The permission for this work was applied for by the
Finnish Transport Agency
The Finnish Transport Infrastructure Agency ( fi, Väylävirasto, sv, Trafikledsverket), shortened to FTIA, is a Finnish government agency responsible for the maintenance of Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Rep ...
Thesis
A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...
for
engineer's degree
An engineer's degree is an advanced academic degree in engineering which is conferred in Europe, some countries of Latin America, North Africa and a few institutions in the United States. The degree may require a thesis but always requires a non-a ...