Stericycle

What Stericycle does

Stericycle is a specialist regulated waste management company operating across Ireland and the UK as part of Stericycle, Inc., with a documented service footprint spanning Dublin, Athlone, Cork, Limerick, and Galway and additional sites bringing the UK/Ireland total to 20. The company collects, treats, and disposes of sharps, infectious, dental, pharmaceutical, chemical, hazardous, anatomical, and WEEE waste, and also delivers confidential information destruction through its wholly-owned Shred-it sub-brand and end-to-end pet cremation services through veterinary partnerships.

The core operating technology comprises an owned fleet of 500+ specialist vehicles and 20 fully licensed waste treatment facilities featuring Energy from Waste incineration (minimum 850–1,000°C) and alternative heat-disinfection treatment (140°C in Heat Disinfection Units). Proprietary reusable Bio Systems sharps containers (UN-approved, used up to 600 times with robotic three-stage disinfection) and a proprietary Bio Track chain-of-custody system differentiate the offering, while internal EfW heat and steam recovery powers the wash-line, creating closed-loop cost and sustainability economics. Compliance credentials include ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, EPA licences, Waste Carrier Licence CBDU105283, and Safe Contractor accreditation.

Stericycle monetises primarily through managed-service contracts with healthcare, dental, pharmacy, laboratory, veterinary, GP, hospice, beauty, tattoo, and funeral-home customers, complemented by hardware sales of clinical waste bags, sharps containers, rigid medical containers, pedal and wheeled bins, and Bio Systems reusable containers. Pricing is custom-quoted by volume, frequency, and waste type under multi-year contracts, and the go-to-market is enterprise field sales supported by phone (1800 937 628), website quote forms, and a Resource Centre content-marketing funnel. In 2023, the company reported treating 590,000 tonnes of medical waste, shredding and recycling 411,000 tonnes of paper, treating 25,000 tonnes of pharmaceutical waste, and diverting 46,000 tonnes of plastics from landfills.

Name

Stericycle

Legal name

Stericycle, Inc.

Website

https://stericycle.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Stericycle is a specialist regulated waste management company serving healthcare, dental, pharmacy, laboratory, and veterinary customers in Ireland and the UK with collection, treatment, and disposal of sharps, infectious, pharmaceutical, chemical, and hazardous waste, supported by its own fleet, treatment facilities, and the Shred-it and Bio Systems sub-brands.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Medical Waste Management Services

NAICS

Hazardous Waste Collection (562112), Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211), Waste Treatment and Disposal (56221)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950), Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical & Biohazard Waste Disposal (RMW/Sharps) (IMAIAFAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Medical & Biohazardous Waste Management (RMW, Sharps, Pathological) (EUAIAFAE), Pharmaceutical & Controlled Substance Waste Management (DEA-compliant, Take-back) (EUAIAFAF), Confidential Document Destruction & Secure Recycling (Shredding) (IMAIAFAO), Solvent Recovery & Hazardous Waste Recycling/Reclamation (Distillation, Reuse) (BPALAFAH)

Keywords

• Medical waste management
• Sharps disposal
• Infectious waste services
• Regulated waste compliance
• Healthcare waste solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Healthcare Waste Collection and Disposal Services: Comprehensive regulated waste collection, treatment, and disposal services for healthcare facilities including sharps waste, infectious waste, pharmaceutical waste, anatomical waste, chemical waste, and hazardous waste. Services include scheduled collections and ad-hoc pickups using proprietary containers and specialized vehicles.
2. Shred-it Information Protection Services: Confidential information protection and secure document destruction services through Shred-it brand, including paper shredding, hard drive destruction, media destruction, and specialty shredding services.
3. Clinical Waste Products: Sale of clinical waste products including sharps containers, clinical waste bags, rigid medical containers, pedal bins, wheeled bins, and Bio Systems reusable containers.
4. Pet Cremation Services: Pet cremation services delivered in partnership with veterinary practices across Ireland.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Stericycle is a regulated waste management company that collects, transports, treats, and disposes of medical, hazardous, pharmaceutical, chemical, and infectious waste for healthcare and commercial customers. In addition to waste services, the company sells associated consumables such as sharps containers, clinical waste bags, and bins, and offers complementary services including information protection (Shred-it) and pet cremation.

Product overview

Stericycle is a specialist waste management company offering a comprehensive portfolio of regulated waste collection, treatment, and disposal solutions. The core offerings include Sharps Waste Management, Infectious Waste Disposal, Dental Waste Disposal, Pharmaceutical Waste Management, Chemical Waste Disposal, Hazardous Waste Disposal, Anatomical Waste Management, Bio Systems Sharps Management, WEEE Solutions, Information Protection (Shred-it), and Pet Cremation services. Supporting these services is a range of complementary products including Clinical Waste Bags, Sharps Containers, Rigid Medical Containers, Pedal Bins and Wheeled Bins, Bio Systems Reusable Sharps Containers, and Denaturing Kits. The company operates its own fleet of vehicles and licensed treatment facilities, providing end-to-end compliant waste management solutions across Ireland for healthcare providers, laboratories, pharmacies, veterinary practices, dental practices, and other sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Shred-it: Industry leader in workplace privacy, providing advice on confidential information protection and secure destruction and recycling services. A Stericycle solution operating in multiple countries.
• Bio Systems

Products and services

• Sharps Waste Management Collection, treatment, and disposal service for sharps (needles, syringes, scalpels) generated by healthcare facilities, dental practices, and similar environments, supplied with compliant sharps containers.
• Infectious Waste Management Collection and treatment of infectious and clinical waste streams from hospitals, GP surgeries, and care facilities using heat-based disinfection or incineration pathways.
• Dental Waste Management Tailored waste collection services for dental practices including amalgam, gypsum, and contaminated waste streams handled in line with dental-sector regulations.
• Pharmaceutical Waste Management Secure collection and disposal of expired, unused, or contaminated pharmaceuticals and cytotoxic drugs from pharmacies, hospitals, and veterinary practices.
• Chemical and Hazardous Waste Management Specialist handling of chemical, hazardous, and laboratory waste for research, industrial, and healthcare clients requiring compliant segregation, transport, and treatment.
• Anatomical Waste Management Collection and incineration of anatomical waste, including human tissue and related materials, for hospitals, hospices, and laboratories under strict regulatory controls.
• WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) Solutions Recycling and disposal service for electrical and electronic equipment waste streams, supporting compliance with WEEE regulations for commercial customers.
• Information Protection (Shred-it) Secure on-site and off-site document destruction services for businesses needing confidential paper and media disposal with chain-of-custody assurance.
• Pet Cremation Services Pet cremation service offered primarily to veterinary practices and pet owners as part of the company's broader end-of-life waste handling capabilities.
• Sharps Containers and Consumables Range of compliant sharps containers (small, medium, large, extra-large, cytotoxic) plus clinical waste bags, yellow bags, and burn bins sold to customers to support the waste collection service.
• Steribin Waste Bins Yellow clinical waste bins in 30L, 60L, and 120L sizes provided to customers as part of the infectious waste collection service offering.

Quantifiable outcome

• 46,000 tonnes of plastics diverted from landfills annually through reusable container use
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Biffa: UK-headquartered waste management company providing clinical and healthcare waste collection and disposal services to hospitals, dental, and pharmaceutical customers; directly comparable in service mix and UK market presence.
• Rentokil Initial: UK-listed hygiene and pest control services group with healthcare-adjacent waste services; serves hospitals, care homes, and dental practices in UK/Ireland with overlapping service bundles including sharps and clinical waste.
• Sharps Compliance: US-listed provider of medical, pharmaceutical, and hazardous waste management solutions including sharps mail-back and route-based services; directly comparable in product mix to Stericycle's sharps, pharmaceutical, and hazardous waste lines.
• Tradebe: Privately held hazardous waste management company operating treatment and disposal facilities across Europe and the US; competes in pharmaceutical, chemical, and hazardous waste streams where Stericycle also operates.
• Daniels Sharpsmart: Global provider of reusable sharps containment and clinical waste services with a comparable reusable-container model that competes directly with Stericycle's Bio Systems offering in healthcare and dental segments.

Broad incumbents

• Clean Harbors: North American leader in hazardous waste management with growing healthcare waste vertical; offers overlapping services (sharps, pharmaceutical, chemical waste) at significantly larger scale than Stericycle Ireland/UK.
• Republic Services: Major North American solid waste and recycling services provider with healthcare and hazardous waste offerings; serves as a broad-market comparable for regulated waste collection, treatment, and disposal economics.
• Veolia: Global environmental services major operating healthcare and hazardous waste services across Europe including UK/Ireland; competes with Stericycle for large hospital and laboratory contracts as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Suez: International waste and water services group with regulated waste, recycling, and healthcare waste collection offerings in Europe, providing direct competition to Stericycle in Ireland/UK and broader European markets.

Regional players

• HIPPO (HIPPO Waste): UK-based waste collection and recycling company offering clinical and hazardous waste services; a smaller regional alternative that overlaps with Stericycle's UK service territory, particularly for SMB healthcare customers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stericycle_ire

Compliance12 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 Stericycle