spoil heap / pile
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spoil heap
An artificially piled-up hill of waste material produced in mining or heavy industry.
Viele ehemalige Kohlehalden im Ruhrgebiet sind heute begrünt und als Naherholungsgebiete zugänglich.
Many former coal spoil heaps in the Ruhr area are now greened over and accessible as local recreation areas.
You can recognize the meaning from the context. If it is about mining, industry, or landscapes, it means the artificial hill. If it is about everyday things like books, files, or laundry, it means a messy pile.
Vom Gipfel der Halde hat man eine tolle Aussicht über die Stadt.
From the top of the spoil heap, you have a great view over the city.
The meaning 'großer, ungeordneter Haufen' (large, disorganized pile) is figurative and is used mainly in colloquial language to describe a large, chaotic amount.
Ich muss am Wochenende endlich die Halde an Arbeit auf meinem Schreibtisch abarbeiten.
This weekend I finally have to work through the pile of work on my desk.
In connection with mining, 'Halde' (spoil heap) is often combined with verbs of movement such as 'auf eine Halde steigen' (to climb onto a spoil heap) or with adjectives such as 'begrünt' (greened over) or 'ehemalig' (former).
Die alte Halde wurde renaturiert und ist jetzt ein Park.
The old spoil heap was renatured and is now a park.
In the colloquial meaning, the pile is often described more precisely with the preposition 'von' (of) or 'an' followed by the dative. The verb 'sich türmen' (to tower up) is also typical.
Auf dem Tisch türmte sich eine Halde von schmutzigem Geschirr.
A pile of dirty dishes was towering on the table.
mountain
'der Berg' and 'die Halde' can both refer to something high or to a large pile. The most important difference is: a Berg is normally a natural elevation in the landscape. A Halde is usually artificially piled up, for example from material from mining or industry. Colloquially, 'Halde' can also mean a large, messy pile of things. The words can be confused if you are only thinking about the shape. If it is about nature and hiking, 'Berg' fits; if something is piled up or collected in a disorderly way, 'Halde' is more suitable.
Neben dem alten Bergwerk liegt eine dunkle Halde aus Steinen und Erde.
Next to the old mine, there is a dark spoil heap of stones and earth.
Am Wochenende wandern wir auf einen Berg mit Blick über den See.
At the weekend, we are hiking up a mountain with a view over the lake.