Talmo plant ordered to stay closed

A Jackson County judge has extended an order to keep the doors to a waste recycling plant closed until the facility in Talmo can clean-up its act. The Agri-Cycle wastewater recyclying plant was ordered closed in September, two days after a treatment pond caught fire and burned. The judge in his order Tuesday wrote that the plant’s operation "constitutes a clear and present danger to the citizens of Jackson County and the state of Georgia". The plant in Talmo collects waste from chicken plants and restaurants, decomposes it using bacteria, then processes remaining wastewater by spreading it onto fields.

Click here for more GPB coverage of the Talmo plant.

Waste-processing plant fighting closure order

The EPD and a Jackson County waste-processing company went head-to-head in court on Tuesday over whether their plant should be shut down.

The Environmental Protection Division ordered the waste-treatment plant in Talmo, north of Athens to stop taking in grease and poultry remains in late August, citing health ordinance violations going back to 2005.

The facility's owner appealed that decision. They charge that they should be allowed to remain open until a final ruling, expected in November.

On Tuesday, the EPD argued before a superior court judge that the Agri-Cycle facility should remain closed for the interim.

Local residents complain that contamination of nearby Allen Creek and smells from the three-year-old plant are making their lives unbearable.

The judge's decision is expected within a few weeks.

Click here for more GPB coverage of events surrounding the facility.

Talmo plant ordered to close

A Jackson County Superior Court judge has ordered a controversial plant in northeast Georgia to close for a month. The order comes at the request of the state attorney general and Georgia’s Enviromental Protection Division director. The judge’s order says the Agri-Cycle plant in Talmo should stop accepting new waste for a month, and prove compliance before resuming business. The plant recycles poultry byproducts and waste, using a land-application system to dispose on company property. Last Wednesday, a massive fire broke out on the grounds. The EPD claims the plant has operated without proper permits, and caused at least two spills into nearby Allen Creek. Residents of Talmo have complained for a while about the smell from the plant.

Fires on property of northeast Georgia plant

Fires burned into this morning in recycling ponds on the grounds of a controversial plant in northeast Georgia's Jackson County. Firefighters say the blazes were sparked by an electrical pump malfunction sometime Wednesday afternoon at Agri-Cycle in Talmo. The plant recycles poultry byproducts and uses a land-application waste treatment system to dispose of waste on company property. The smell from the plant has drawn complaints from many in the town. Agri-Cycle has been in a tug-of-war with Jackson County over zoning issues, as well as the state Enviromental Protection Division over permits.

State orders plant to shut down

State environmental officials have ordered a northeast Georgia wastewater processing plant to stop operating. People who live near Agri-Cycle in Talmo in Jackson County say it’s making their town smell like rotting chickens. The Environmental Protection Division says the plant processed household waste without a permit and spilled greasy organic solids into a creek. Agri-Cycle says the allegations are untrue and it will stay open while appealing the order.