Nation's Largest Dump to Shut Down

Has taken 130 million tons of garbage over 50 years in California

The nation's largest landfill, where 130 million tons of garbage has been dumped, is closing Thursday after more than a half-century of service.

The 630-acre landfill is about 20 miles east of Los Angeles and served as a regional waste facility. Its gates are being shut because a permit for the site, which is nearly filled, expires on Halloween.

The landfill, which opened in 1957, has accepted more than a third of Los Angeles County's trash and stands as high as a 40-story building.