The White County Board of Commissioners on Monday approved a land use application from Southern Legacy Wood Products that will allow the company to expand operations at its property on 1605 Helen Highway in Cleveland.
The decision rezones the property from Community Commercial to Industrial District and grants a Special Use Permit for an “air burn recycling/wood waste processing” facility.
Co-owner Jadie Hatcher told commissioners the facility will accept inert wood waste and process it using an Air Curtain Burner. The device burns waste material down to ash, which will then be sold to local farmers to mix with manure and soil to improve soil conditions. Hatcher said the facility will also burn waste from the company’s onsite firewood operation.
The county planning commission previously recommended approval, contingent on the Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) issuing the required air quality and solid waste permits.
Some neighboring property owners had expressed concerns about smoke from the burn process, citing earlier fires at the site. Hatcher explained that the Air Curtain Burner acts like a catalytic converter. “Anything that’s unspent fuel, which is black smoke, comes up, the air pushes it back into the fire, and it just circulates until it’s all gone. It’s a big, huge catalytic converter,” he said.
Hatcher also noted the facility could help the county dispose of large quantities of storm-damaged trees.
The project cannot move forward until the state issues the necessary permits.
