Universal Refining L.L.C., a Fairburn environmental company specializing in recycling used oil and cleaning up oil spills, plans to relocate its south Fulton facilities to Peachtree City, on the site of the former Georgia-Pacific resins plant on Dividend Drive.

Barry Paul, CEO for Universal, says the company has "outgrown" the Fairburn plant, located on about three acres on Howell Road in Fairburn. The Peachtree City facility would have 9.8 acres and would employ 40-45 people, Paul said. The site also allows direct rail access, something which has been needed for some time, he added.

"We are in the non-hazardous used oil business," Paul says. "We are actually an environmental company with an excellent record. If there weren't companies like ours to recycle oil, there's no telling where it would end up."

He says their environmental concerns extend to "geo-probing" the Georgia Pacific site to "make sure it's perfect." The former company was listed by national agencies as a major Fayette County polluter several years ago, and questions have been raised about the "bio-pond" on the site.

"That pond has been shut down absolutely according to state regulations," Paul notes. "We are in the business of taking care of the environment. We are proud of what we do." He says it will be about a year before the company completes all the relocation plans. Meanwhile, a redevelopment plan for the site comes before the Peachtree City Planning Commission Monday night.

The company's major product is a high-BTU, low-sulphur fuel, processed from the used oil, to be used by power plants and paper mills, Paul says. The company also re-processes used oil filters, recycling both the extracted oil and the metal parts. The company president says they have contracts to pick up oil and filters throughout the metro area, including all the Jiffy Lube stores, City of Atlanta, and local military installations.