REBEKAH A. HALL

To keep its Atlanta landfill open, Waste Management of Georgia has filed a Petition for Judicial Review with the Cobb County Superior Court. The company also moved to stay the judge's ruling to continue landfill operations during the judicial process.

In 2003, an administrative judge ordered Waste Management's Live Oak Landfill to close by December 2004 because state environmental inspectors found it had violated waste handling guidelines and nearby residents had complained about site odors.

However, according to the company's Atlanta Market Area Vice President Brad Gardner, the Georgia Environmental Protection Department had given the facility an overall compliance rating of approximately 95 to 100 percent for the past 10 years.

The facility receives approximately 3,205 tons of trash per day totalling 250,000 tons of trash per year from the Atlanta area.