Dive Brief:

• The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) issued an order for the owners of the Shreveport landfill in Louisiana to close.
• The order requires that site owner Harrelson Materials Management Inc. stop fires burning at the landfill before closing the site entirely. 
• Fires have burned for years and may take approximately six months to extinguish. 

Dive Insight:

Under the DEQ plan, waste will be restored back into the landfill after the fires are extinguished, where it will be covered with soil to comply with state regulations. According to state senator Greg Tarver, the closure order is in the best interest of neighborhood residents.