Dive Brief:

• The largest landfill in the U.S., the Puente Hills landfill, which serves California's L.A. county, will stop operations at 5 p.m. today as per a conditional permit issued by the Board of Supervisors in 2003.
  The 630 acre landfill has been in operation since 1960 and has received materials from structures from the Whittier earthquake in 1987 and charred storefronts from the Rodney King riot in 1992.
  Through the years, this landfill served as a microcosm of life and was examined by archeologists, engineers, economists and students who studied the composition of the materials in order to research trends and determine shifts in the economy.

Dive Insight:

The landfill will be covered with 5 feet of dirt and pipes will continue to capture methane for the next two decades. The site will be transferred to the LA County Department of Parks and Recreation, to be transformed into a park with trails. 10,000 tons of trash daily will now be sorted at two MRFs; the recyclables will be sold overseas while the trash will be buried at one of many landfills. In the next few years, waste generated by the county will most likely be transported by rail to its final destination: an abandoned gold mine 220 miles away.