A south DeKalb County city recently settled a lawsuit with a recycling company that built a controversial concrete-crushing plant near residential neighborhoods.
Stonecrest announced last week it agreed in January to a negotiated settlement with Metro Green Recycling, ending a seven-year legal battle that’s nearly as old as the city. The 58-acre factory site has been the focus of protests and accusations of environmental racism because it was built near neighborhoods in a city where the population is more than 85% Black.
The recycler said it invested at least $35 million into the project near Snapfinger Woods Drive and Miller Road, but it was never able to become fully operational because of the legal battle. The agreement’s terms were not disclosed, but Stonecrest said the deal will result in Metro Green relocating its operations “to an appropriate location.”
Credit: Citizens for a Healthy and Safe Environment
Credit: Citizens for a Healthy and Safe Environment
“The settlement reflects a shared commitment to protecting the health, safety, and welfare of Stonecrest residents while respecting legal processes and Metro Green Recycling’s private property rights,” the city said in a news release.
The new location for Metro Green’s facility was not disclosed, and it’s unclear what will happen to the existing plant. The Stonecrest City Council voted to agree to the settlement at its Jan. 28 meeting during its executive session, which is not open to the public.
The city and Metro Green’s attorneys declined to comment or provide more information on the plant’s relocation.
The genesis for the legal battle was a May 2018 letter written by Stonecrest’s first mayor, Jason Lary, who would later spend two years in federal prison for defrauding COVID-19 relief programs. Lary wrote a letter to the Georgia Environmental Protection Division endorsing Metro Green’s planned recycling center.
Michael Harris, Stonecrest’s city manager at the time, wrote a subsequent letter saying Metro Green’s plans complied with the city’s zoning laws and the county’s solid waste plan, which DeKalb leaders contest.
By October 2019, the EPD issued Metro Green a solid waste handling permit, allowing it to take in unsorted construction debris for processing and recycling. Activists and residents said the activity kicked up dust and created noise, which Metro Green’s legal team denied at the time.
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Credit: Steve Schaefer
Amid the controversy, Lary withdrew his support of the project, and in August 2020, Stonecrest filed a temporary restraining order against Metro Green to try to stop construction. An activist group, Citizens for a Healthy and Safe Environment, joined the legal fight.
A local judge sided with community activists and the city in 2022, temporarily barring Metro Green from conducting any work. But an appeals court panel reversed that ruling the following year, ruling that state regulators have the final say on issuing permits and the city did not follow the proper channels to revoke its support, rushing into court prematurely.
Appeals by the city and activists to the bring the case before the Georgia Supreme Court were unsuccessful.
Metro Green in March 2025 filed a lawsuit after the city denied the factory’s certificates of occupancy and renewed business license, preventing the plant from operating.
In the complaint, Metro Green said it invested $20 million to build the facility — its third in metro Atlanta — and has lost an additional $15 million through carrying costs and lost profits. Every month the factory could not operate, the company said it lost an additional $640,000.
The city said the agreement resolves the litigation, placing the lengthy legal battle to bed. The settlement was formally filed March 16, ending the case, according to court records.
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