The dumpsite was established in the 1970s, as an open dumpsite in Lupang Pangako in
Payatas,
Quezon City. Prior to this, the area used to be a
ravine surrounded by farming villages and rice paddies. People residing in the
Smokey Mountain landfill in
Tondo, Manila who worked as scavengers migrated to the Payatas dumpsite after the former's closure in 1995. Payatas then developed a reputation as the
"second Smokey Mountain",
"21st century Smokey Mountain",
"Smokey Mountain Two",
"New Smokey Mountain",
"Smokey Valley", or the
"modern-day Smokey Mountain". which mandated the closure of open dumpsites by 2001 and controlled dumpsites by 2006. The dumping ground was immediately closed following the incident by then-President
Joseph Estrada, but was reopened weeks later by then-Quezon City Mayor
Mel Mathay to avert an epidemic in the city due to uncollected garbage caused by the closure. The dumpsite is located less than from the reservoir itself. In 2004, the landfill was reorganized as a controlled disposal facility A separate landfill with a stricter waste management policy was established nearby the old open dumpsite In March 2023, the former dumpsite was redeveloped into an
urban park for
cycling activities. ==See also==