HENRICO COUNTY, Va. -- The landfill is typically a place where unwanted items, trash, and yard waste are left without much afterthought.
But now, a Henrico County worker wants you to have a different feeling on your visit to the dump. A feeling of hope.
“People like to see things grow,” Department of Public Utilities employee Rick Baber said. “Hopefully, it will bring a little joy.”
Weeks into the COVID-19 pandemic, Barber started a small garden at the landfill off Springfield Road in Henrico’s West End.
He called it a “hope garden.”
“I saw a little piece of ground and thought it would be nice to have a garden out here,” Baber said.
He said he hoped the garden would brighten his co-workers’ moods.
“Anything dealing with nature is positive,” Baber said. “When the garden flourishes and bears fruit, I think it will make people happy.”
Baber and his co-workers planted tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers in the 10-by-12 hope garden.