Universal Environmental Services LLC

What Universal Environmental Services LLC does

Universal Environmental Services LLC is a Peachtree City, Georgia-based environmental services company that operates as the leading used oil collector in the southeastern United States, covering 25 states with a fleet of more than 300 service and transport vehicles and 25+ collection facilities serving over 35,000 customers. Its operations are vertically integrated: UES collects used motor oil, used industrial oil, used oil filters, oily wastewater, spent absorbents, spent antifreeze, and fluorescent bulbs from automotive repair shops, car dealerships, service stations, industrial manufacturers, multi-location oil chains, and hazardous waste generators, then re-refines a portion of the collected feedstock at its $60 million Peachtree City re-refinery into Group II, II+, and Group III base oils, lubricants, fuel, and bitumen flux using Avista Oil AG's patented Enhanced Selective Refining technology.

The company generates revenue through a mix of per-gallon collection fees across its nine primary service lines, complemented by re-refined base oil and lubricant sales to lubricant manufacturers. Pricing is volume- and quality-based given used oil's commodity nature, with programs tailored to customer needs. Distribution is route-based via direct field sales to enterprise accounts and scheduled/on-call pickup for SMB customers, supported by the UES Customer Portal (uesclient.com) for self-service account management, manifest retrieval, and multi-location consolidated billing. UES also provides a Hazardous & Special Waste Division with cradle-to-grave handling including universal waste, e-waste, airbag recycling, and PCB/PFOS/PFAS disposal, plus 24-hour emergency spill response.

The company is a privately held LLC, wholly owned by Avista Oil AG (Uetze, Germany), Europe's leading used oil re-refiner, which acquired majority control from MidMark Capital and Navigator Partners in December 2011 and subsequently moved to 100% ownership. The McPherson Companies, which merged its used oil collection business into UES in September 2011, retained an equity stake. Avista is itself partially owned by SKion GmbH (~30%), the investment vehicle of German entrepreneur Susanne Klatten. UES is led by CEO Juan Fritschy and was founded in 1990 with 101-250 employees.

Name

Universal Environmental Services LLC

Legal name

Universal Environmental Services LLC

Website

https://universalenvironmentalservices.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Universal Environmental Services LLC is a Peachtree City, Georgia-based environmental services company that collects used motor and industrial oil from over 35,000 customers across 25 states via 300+ trucks and 25+ facilities, and vertically integrates downstream into Group II/III base oil re-refining at its Peachtree City facility using Avista-patented technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Used Oil Collection and Recycling Services

NAICS

Petroleum Refineries (324110), Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals (424710), Petrochemical Manufacturing (32511)

SIC

Oil & Gas Field Services, Nec (1389), Miscellaneous Chemical Products (2890)

akta.pro primary industry

Used Oil & Oily Waste Management (Collection, Re-refining, Disposal) (BPALAFAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Used Oil, Lubricants & Industrial Fluids Recovery/Recycling (IMAIAFAM), Oilfield & Refining Specialty Chemicals (IMAEABAI), Refinery Offsites, Storage & Loading (Tankage, Truck/Rail/Marine Loading) (EUALAGAK)

Keywords

• Used oil collection
• Oil re-refining services
• Hazardous waste management
• Environmental services
• Recycled base oil

Headquarters

HQ city

Peachtree City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Used Oil Collection Services: Core revenue stream from collecting used motor oil and industrial oil from customers across 25 states. Service provided via scheduled routes or on-call pickup using a fleet of 300+ collection and transport trucks.
2. Used Filter Collection: Collection of used oil filters with removal of retained oil and metal casing sent to steel mills for recycling.
3. Oily Wastewater Collection: Collection and management of non-hazardous petroleum-contaminated water from storage tanks, industrial wastewater, drain traps, and mop water.
4. Vacuum Services: Specialized vacuum equipment services for separators, car wash bays, trenches, drains, pits and sumps. Includes inspection programs and emergency response services.
5. Parts Washer Services: Solvent and aqueous parts washer provision, service, and StillClean distillation unit leasing. On-call or scheduled route service.
6. Hazardous & Special Waste Division: Full-service waste management including hazardous, non-hazardous, and special waste disposal. Services include site visits, documentation, logistics, and sustainable management. Also handles universal waste, e-waste, airbag recycling, and PCB/PFOS/PFAS disposal.
7. Spent Absorbent Collection: Collection of spent absorbent materials and provision of new absorbents (clay products, booms, pads) for absorbing oil, antifreeze, and water.
8. Fluorescent Bulb Collection: Hands-off recycling program with prepaid shipping containers for fluorescent bulbs. Customers fill containers and schedule pickup.
9. Spent Antifreeze Collection: Separate collection of spent antifreeze for recycling into new base glycol product via closed-loop process.
10. Recycled Base Oil and Lubricant Sales: Re-refined base oils produced from collected used oil are sold to lubricant manufacturers. Base oils produced include Group II, II+, and Group III. Also produces fuel and flux for bitumen and asphalt.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Universal Environmental Services LLC collects, transports, and processes used motor oil, used industrial oil, used oil filters, oily wastewater, spent absorbents, spent antifreeze, fluorescent bulbs, and hazardous/special waste from thousands of generators across 25 states via a fleet of 300+ trucks and 25+ collection facilities. Vertically integrated downstream, UES operates the $60 million Peachtree City re-refinery, which uses Avista-patented Enhanced Selective Refining technology to convert used oil into Group II, II+, and Group III base oils, lubricants, fuel, and flux for bitumen and asphalt. A digital customer portal (uesclient.com) supports account management, manifest printing, SDS downloads, and multi-location consolidated billing.

Product overview

Universal Environmental Services LLC is an environmental services company offering a integrated portfolio of used oil and hazardous waste management services. The core offering consists of used oil collection, used filter collection, oily wastewater collection, vacuum services, parts washer services, spent absorbent collection, fluorescent bulb collection, and spent antifreeze collection — all delivered through a fleet of 300+ service and transport vehicles across 25 states. Vertically integrated downstream, UES operates the Peachtree City Re-Refinery, which re-refines collected used oil into high-quality base oils (Group II, II+, and Group III), lubricants, and fuel products using Avista-patented technology. Customers interact with the business through the UES Customer Portal, a web-based account management platform. The company also maintains a Hazardous & Special Waste Division providing cradle-to-grave waste management, e-waste recycling, airbag recycling, and PCB/PFOS/PFAS disposal. The portfolio is held together by route-based logistics, regulatory compliance (EPA 40 CFR Part 279), and the proprietary re-refining process.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Used Oil Pickup Route-based collection of used motor oil and used industrial oil from thousands of active generators across 24 states, ranging from small automotive repair shops to large manufacturing companies.
• Used Filter Collection Collection of used oil filters by dedicated filter drivers, with retained oil and metal casing sent to steel mills for recycling; helps customers maintain organized workspaces.
• Oily Wastewater Collection Collection and cost-effective management of non-hazardous petroleum-contaminated water from storage tanks, industrial wastewater, drain trap liquids, and mop water, with recoverable petroleum sent to recycling.
• Hazardous & Special Waste Division Full-service hazardous, non-hazardous, and special waste disposal including cradle-to-grave waste management, site visits, documentation, logistics, sustainable management; covers universal waste, e-waste, batteries, ballasts, airbag recycling, and PCB/PFOS/PFAS disposal.
• Vacuum Services High-pressure vacuum equipment for clearing separators, car wash bays, trenches, drains, pits, and sumps; includes inspection programs with written evaluations, photos, and video, plus 24-hour emergency response.
• Parts Washer Services Solvent and aqueous parts washer units (manual and automatic) available for purchase or lease, including the StillClean portable distilling unit using patented low-temperature vacuum distillation to separate dirty solvent into clean solvent and oil.
• Spent Absorbent Collection Provision of new absorbents (clay products, booms, pads) for absorbing oil, antifreeze, and water; plus collection and disposal of spent absorbent materials in metal drums, totes, or 275-gallon bins.
• Fluorescent Bulb Collection Hands-off recycling program: UES ships prepaid return containers to customers; once full, customers call to schedule pickup of fluorescent bulbs.
• Spent Antifreeze Collection Separate collection and management of spent antifreeze/coolant containing ethylene glycol and heavy metals, processed through state-of-the-art recycling to produce a new base glycol product via a closed-loop process.
• Peachtree City Re-Refinery Vertical-integration operation that re-refines collected used oil into high-quality Group II, II+, and Group III base oils, lubricants, fuel, and flux for bitumen and asphalt using Avista-patented Enhanced Selective Refining technology; one of the most productive used oil re-refineries in the United States at 1,700 barrels per day.
• UES Customer Portal Online portal providing real-time account management: track service history (transporter EPA ID, quantity, date/time, service representative), request services, print manifests, download Safety Data Sheets and Certificates of Insurance, and export transaction details in Excel; supports multi-location consolidated accounts.

Quantifiable outcome

• Re-refining produces 30% less CO2 emissions compared to producing base oils from virgin oil
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Origin Baltimore Recycling LLCminorOthers · 3 October 2022UES acquired the assets of Origin Baltimore Recycling LLC in October 2022. Origin provided used oil collection services to Maryland and Pennsylvania. Acquisition brought valuable assets and locations to UES operating footprint along with experienced staff.
• Origin Texas Recycling LLCminorOthers · 3 October 2022UES acquired the assets of Origin Texas Recycling LLC in October 2022. Origin provided used oil collection services to Texas and Virginia with seaside terminals for barge and deep-water vessel shipping. Acquisition brought valuable assets and locations to UES operating footprint along with experienced staff.
• Metro Environmental Services, Inc.minorOthers · 30 December 2015UES acquired Metro Environmental Services, Inc. based in Sylacauga, Alabama in December 2015. Metro Environmental had provided used oil collection services to Alabama and Georgia areas for over 23 years. Location became UES's 21st terminal operation.
• AVISTA Oil AG Re-refineries (DOG Denmark, MRD Germany)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2011Production runs using American used oil were conducted at Avista's European re-refineries in Denmark (Dansk Olie Genbrug A/S) and Germany (MRD) to test the re-refinery setup planned for Peachtree City. Excellent quality base oil was obtained, validating the process before US facility completion.
• The McPherson CompaniescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2011The McPherson Companies' used oil collection business merged with UES on September 30, 2011. The merger created the dominant used oil collector in the southeastern US with 70+ collection trucks and 21 terminals covering NC to LA and GA to southern OH. Ken McPherson became a board member. McPherson remains an equity partner in UES.
• Mineralöl-Raffinerie Dollbergen GmbH (MRD)coreTechnology or Integration · 28 June 2011MRD, member of AVISTA OIL Group, served as engineering partner for the Peachtree City re-refinery project. Provided Enhanced Selective Refining technology and basic/detailed engineering. The same engineers that designed and commissioned MRD's German and Danish re-refineries designed the US facility.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Heritage-Crystal Clean: Closest US direct competitor — operates a used oil collection network plus the largest US re-refinery (Indianapolis), producing Group II base oils and offering parts washer services, antifreeze recycling, and hazardous waste services. Highly comparable vertically integrated business model and customer base.
• Safety-Kleen (Clean Harbors Environmental Services): Safety-Kleen pioneered US used oil collection and parts washer services and is now part of Clean Harbors. Operates a re-refinery in East Chicago, produces base oils and blended lubricants, and serves automotive/industrial customers — direct overlap with UES's core collection and re-refining business.
• Vertex Energy: Houston-based re-refiner of used motor oil into Group II base oils and finished lubricants, plus a used oil collection business. Competes head-to-head with UES in used oil sourcing and base oil offtake markets, with overlapping customer and feedstock dynamics.
• Valicor Environmental Services: Specialty waste and used oil services company operating fluid recovery and re-refining assets across North America. Directly comparable in the used oil collection and base oil re-refining value chain with similar customer profiles.

Broad incumbents

• Avista Oil AG: Parent company of UES and Europe's leading used oil re-refiner. Operates re-refineries in Germany (MRD) and Denmark (DOG). Provides the proprietary Enhanced Selective Refining technology used at Peachtree City; not a market competitor but a strategic benchmark and technology source.
• Clean Harbors: Largest North American provider of environmental, energy, and industrial services including hazardous waste management, used oil collection (via Safety-Kleen), and re-refining. Overlaps with UES's hazardous/special waste division and broader environmental services portfolio.
• Waste Management Inc. Largest North American solid waste and recycling company with a significant environmental services arm. Offers used oil and hazardous waste collection services to commercial and industrial customers, overlapping with UES's broader environmental services portfolio.
• Republic Services: Major US environmental services provider with collection, recycling, and disposal capabilities including used motor oil and industrial fluids. Broader portfolio than UES but overlaps in collection services and environmental compliance offerings for commercial customers.

Regional players

• GFL Environmental: Canadian-headquartered environmental services company with growing US footprint in solid waste, liquid waste, and hazardous waste. Overlaps with UES in oily wastewater collection and industrial waste management, primarily serving Canadian and select US markets.

Emerging players

• Stericycle: Specializes in regulated waste streams including medical waste, hazardous waste, and document destruction, with some used oil/fluid management capabilities for industrial customers. Comparable in compliance-driven waste services but less focused on the re-refining value chain.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/universalenviro
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/universalenvironmentalservices

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Universal Environmental Services LLC