Last in a series
Half-jokingly, Don Alford refers to himself as “the most hated man in Amite County.”
“I stepped into a hornets’ nest with this deal,” he said, referring to his proposal to establish a regional landfill in the Mars Hill community of Amite County.
But he’s spent nearly $40,000, including $30,000 on an environmental study, and plans to see how it all turns out.
Alford lives in McComb and owns Amite County Poles and Piling in Gloster. The company owns the 555-acre tract known as Flatwoods where the proposed landfill would go, and Alford is the sole stockholder.
The family business, Alford Timber Co., goes back generations. Its pilings have provided the foundation for countless buildings in New Orleans, a source of pride for Alford.
“I enjoy what I’m doing and I’m proud of what I do,” he said.
He has a sign that says “Alford Timber est. 1939, Amite County Poles & Piling est. 1989. We were green before being green was cool!”
And he insists the landfill will be green.
Alford bought the original Flatwoods tract in 1999 for $2.5 million. If he’d known how low timber prices were going to go, he would have clearcut the whole place then, he said.
He put the land up for sale in 2002, and it’s still for sale.
“They always called this the Flatwoods tract. I nicknamed it Bankrupt Flat,” Alford joked.
One plan for making money off the property was during an avian flu epidemic a few years ago when he heard of a method to compost dead chickens with wood chips. He figured he could bring a chipper to the property for his first timber thinning and have the birds delivered to the site.
When that didn’t pan out, he started noticing the number of garbage trucks going up and down the road and thought of a landfill.
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South Mississippi already has landfills at Plantation Oaks south of Natchez, River Bend at Fayette and Pine Belt near Hattiesburg, as well as Little Dixie at Madison. Alford wants to add Flatwoods to that list.
Much local garbage goes to Plantation Oaks, which according to the DEQ has an estimated 87.4 years left before it maxes out. But Alford said Amite County could make money by doing away with its own garbage transportation costs and receiving fees from surrounding counties, towns and parishes for use of the Flatwoods landfill.
Alford hired Soiltech Consultants of Ridgeland to conduct a preliminary geotechnical investigation, which involved drilling in five places.
“The guy told me it’s the most perfect site he’s ever seen,” Alford said, citing low soil permeability.
The 195-acre landfill would stretch across the northern portion of the Flatwoods tract. If supervisors approve it, Alford expects to spend at least a year and up to $100,000 in applications to the DEQ.
In answer to a “Citizens Concerned About Mars Hill Landfill Waste Site” Facebook page, Alford has launched his own website, www.flatwoodslandfill.com, to answer questions and provide details about his plan. He posted a waste disposal company video that explains how landfills work and touts their environmental cleanness.
“The leachate, they show how they catch it. The water is treated. It’s very informative,” Alford said.
“It’s not getting in the river. I understand nobody wants a landfill, but you’ve got to get rid of your garbage,” he said.
Alford said garbage disposal is an issue society must face and that everyone has a part in.
“Why don’t you get ahead of it where Amite County makes money off it?” he said, adding that if his plan fails, someone else will probably propose a landfill later.
He said he put a 100-mile radius in his plan because of the extensive damage in Louisiana in last year’s record flood, which left untold tons of debris in need of disposal.
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Alford has been criticized for wanting to put the landfill in an area where he doesn’t live. He said he tried to buy a house near Flatwoods but didn’t succeed, and would be glad to live there.
Asked for his reaction if someone wanted to build a landfill near his family lake outside Osyka, Alford said, “I would look at the science of it.”
Not everyone opposes his plan, he said.
“A lot of people that have called me are for it,” he said. “They realize that garbage is an issue. Amite County will make money off the garbage that comes from other places. They will get a hosting fee.”
But he recognizes he faces an uphill battle in getting his landfill plan approved amid so much opposition.
“If it’s meant to be, it’ll happen. If it’s not, it won’t. I’m not trying to hoodwink anybody. I’m just trying to make a living here,” Alford said.
“As bad as people are bashing me, I’m not vindictive. They have their opinion and I have mine. We can agree to disagree. That’s what makes America great.
“But this garbage thing, this is a train that’s coming down the track. I’m just trying to look into the future.”
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A public hearing on the proposed landfill will be held 9 a.m. Monday, April 3, at the Amite County courthouse in Liberty.
