50% Micro
34% Small
9% Mid
5% Large
1% Mega
INSIGHTS - MARCH 2025
UK Waste Collection Industry
UK Waste Collection Industry Information
The waste collection industry includes the collection, treatment, disposal and recovery of waste materials such as household waste and, hazardous and non-hazardous waste.
Active Businesses
8,086
Annual Sales
£25bn +
Employees
103,174
Economic Contribution
£7bn
Tags
Location of Waste Collection Companies
Waste Collection Companies by Size
Largest Waste Collection Companies
Turnover
Waste Collection Companies by Age
31% Established
26% Young
23% Mature
19% Startup
0% New
Oldest Waste Collection Companies
Established
Fastest Growing Waste Collection Companies
29% Declining
26% Healthy
19% Rapid
17% High
9% Low
Fastest Growing Waste Collection Companies
3yr CAGR
Waste Collection Industry Competitive Environment - New Entrants vs Leavers
Waste Collection Industry Valuation
EBITDA Multiple
Waste Collection Industry Valuation
Turnover Multiple
Waste Collection Industry Valuation
Net Asset Multiple
Note - from March 2020 multiples are calculated monthly, prior to this they were calculated on an annual basis.
UK Waste collection, treatment and disposal activities; materials recovery Industry Insights
There are 8,086 active Businesses in the UK with combined annual sales of £25 billion .
The Industry employs around 103,174 people and contributes £7 billion to the economy.
The most popular location for Waste Collection companies is London with 1,294 and the fewest are located in Northern Ireland with 203.
The largest Waste Collection company is European Metal Recycling Limited with a turnover of £4.1bn. 50% of the industry is comprised of Micro companies with only 9% Mid companies.
19% of the Waste Collection Industry is made up of 19% Startup but the majority are Established businesses (31%) the oldest company is Singleton Birch Limited founded in 1875.
Waste Collection industry has a number of high growth companies (17%), the fastest growing company is N&p Crayford Mrf Limited with a 3 year growth rate of 86%. Other fast growing companies include Viridor Avonmouth Waste Services Limited (70%), Viridor Exeter Waste Services Limited (67%) and Wastecare Compliance Plc (66%).
The UK Waste Collection Industry’s valuation has been improving over the past 3 years with a current EBITDA multiple of 9.43x, Turnover multiple of 1.67x and a Net Asset multiple of 3.09x.
