CLAYTON • The Superior Oak Ridge Landfill west of Valley Park will stop accepting trash on Oct. 9, and then be covered.

On Friday, the St. Louis County Planning Commission granted a petition by the landfill's owner, Veolia Environmental Services, to withdraw a proposed extension of the landfill's permit.

With the closure, the only landfill left in St. Louis County will be the IESI site in Maryland Heights. The massive Milam landfill, off Illinois Route 203 in Fairmont City, also takes area trash.

Veolia said that Superior Oak Ridge landfill, which opened in 1974, was near capacity. The facility's original life expectancy of seven years was extended by various alterations, as well as by the emergence of recycling and a prohibition on dumping yard waste there.

In 2005, the County Council rejected a petition from the landfill's owner at the time to raise its top by 70 feet, stating that nearby residents had expected the 54 1/2-acre facility to reach its capacity when its mound of trash reached 680 feet above sea level. Increasing the landfill's height was not compatible with the residential development that had taken place since the facility began operating, the council ruled.

Closing the landfill will involve hauling in 60,000 to 70,000 yards of material for a composite cover, a clay layer and a vegetative cover. A "membrane layer" will cover the clay cap to limit water infiltration. The process is expected to be completed next year.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the county Health Department will monitor the site after it is closed, filing monthly reports on methane production or any escape of liquids.