Abandoned Recycling Site Irks County Chairman

"Don't dump on us" is the opinion Limestone County Commission Chairman David Seibert has about an abandoned recycling site in eastern Limestone County, Alabama.

State officials are trying to force site owners to clean debris that stands 25 to 30 feet high near about 600 homes in Athena, Ala..

"The thing that bothers me worse than anything is that they put it in Limestone County and hauled it in from somewhere else," Seibert said. "If it was such a good thing, keep it over there."

Ben Brannon owns the approximately 2-acre site on Burgreen Road.

Former Madison City Councilman Ray Stubblefield and William Boyington leased the site for their company called Recycling Solutions Inc. It started four years ago as a company that recycled leftover construction material like plywood by turning it into mulch. It then contracted with Madison to handle its recyclables and offered a contract to Athens. Athens declined.

Madison halted use of the site when residents in Madison-annexed Limestone County complained that the site was a dump that created an environment for rodents and flies and that it was a noise and smell nuisance.

Stubblefield sued Madison and its mayor for $5 million for breach of contract. Mike Cole, attorney for the Limestone County Commission, said that will go to court in December.

Seibert had to give a deposition and said he expects to receive a subpoena.

"They didn't like some of the things I've said in the media," Seibert said.

The company has filed bankruptcy, but Limestone County District Attorney Kristi Valls said the Alabama Department of Environmental Management has filed a claim in bankruptcy court to get money from any company proceeds to clean the site.

Seibert said it would take five bulldozers running a week to bury the debris. The county cannot afford to clean it, he said, and ADEM would not allow burial of some debris.

Commissioner Gerald Barksdale, who represents the area, said there are microwaves, other appliances, vinyl and household trash at the site.

Sen. Tom Butler, D-Madison, said ADEM and the attorney general's office have assured him that cleanup is a top priority. The county cannot force cleanup because it does not have that authority.

An amendment on the November ballot, if approved, would give the county authority to regulate and prohibit public nuisances such as this.

Valls said after the bankruptcy issue is settled in court, if the site still is a dump, she can file a public nuisance lawsuit. She asked the attorney general to appoint her an assistant attorney general so she can file it through his office.

She said the company was supposed to send ADEM a closure plan by Aug. 20. The company didn't comply, and ADEM will seek monetary penalties that fall outside of bankruptcy court, she said.

In 2003, an ADEM solid waste inspector found two violations at the site. The facility had permanent barriers at its property lines that consisted of dirt and solid waste from 5- to 10-feet high. The inspector found waste material scattered throughout the property, even in wooded areas. Decatur (Alabama) Daily