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.
pile
(colloquial, figurative) A large, disorganized pile of things.
Auf seinem Schreibtisch türmte sich eine Halde von ungelesenen Akten.
A pile of unread files was towering on his desk.
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
Berg and Halde can both figuratively refer to a very large accumulation of things. Berg mainly emphasizes the quantity, while Halde additionally suggests a disorganized and often low-value pile. Use Berg for the sheer quantity and Halde when disorder or the impression of waste is part of the meaning.
Nach dem Fest stand in der Küche eine Halde von alten Verpackungen.
After the party, there was a heap of old packaging in the kitchen.
Nach dem Fest stand in der Küche ein Berg von schmutzigem Geschirr.
After the party, there was a mountain of dirty dishes in the kitchen.
