The tiny community of Repton in rural Conecuh County — backed by its neighbors in Atmore and Brewton, the Escambia County Commission and the Poarch Band of Creek Indians — has emerged victorious in a seven-year battle to prevent outside developers from creating a 5, 000-acre landfill to host garbage from 28 or more states.
On the community’s website, Mayor Terri Carter recalls how the landfill investors, Conecuh Woods LLC, told her the dump was “a done deal” and there was nothing anyone in Repton could do to stop it.
“We believe in personal responsibility and taking care of our own mess, ” Carter writes on the website, “but we do not feel we should be burdened with the entire country’s garbage.”
Despite support from neighboring communities, Repton was at odds with its own county in the suit. In a 3-2 vote, Conecuh County commissioners had approved the application in 2011.
No word at press time whether Conecuh Woods LLC will appeal the circuit court decision.
Text by Nedra Bloom
