Cumbria Waste Group

What Cumbria Waste Group does

Cumbria Waste Group, founded in 1994 and operating for over 30 years, is the largest regional waste management contractor in Cumbria. It provides commercial waste collection, disposal, recycling, skip hire, hazardous and liquid waste treatment, and recycled aggregate supply to businesses, public sector bodies, and industrial customers across the North of England (Cumbria, Lancashire, North East, Teesside, Northumberland, Yorkshire, Cheshire) and Southern Scotland. The company reports over 4,000 customers, 350 staff across 20+ locations, and a fleet of 50+ vehicles. The legal entity is Cumbria Waste Management Limited, with three wholly-owned operating subsidiaries: Cumbria Waste Recycling Ltd, Lakeland Waste Management Ltd, and Cumbria Waste Management Ltd.

The operating backbone is four Materials Recycling Facilities at Carlisle (Hespin Wood), Workington (Distington), Penrith (Flusco) and Middlesbrough, supported by an aggregates recycling plant, a licensed hazardous waste transfer station with qualified on-site chemists, a liquid waste treatment plant, the Hespin Wood landfill site, and on-site balers for large waste generators. Reported technical capabilities include mixed-recyclate processing with polymer separation for plastics, aggregate crushing/cleaning/sorting, and closed-loop recycling that re-introduces sorted materials as substitute raw materials. The flagship Hespin Wood facility processes approximately 70,000 tonnes of wood and green waste per year. The company holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 certifications, two Environment Agency Waste Carriers Licences, and site-specific environmental permits.

The business model is sales-led with enterprise field sales. Revenue is generated through recurring commercial waste collection contracts, transactional skip hire (3-12 yard open and 8-12 yard enclosed skips), recyclate sales, hazardous/liquid waste treatment, aggregate supply, and managed Household Waste Recycling Centre services on behalf of Cumberland Council and Westmorland & Furness Council. Pricing is primarily quote-based on container size, location and waste stream; skip permits cost £39 in England and from £100 in Scotland. Customers span hospitality, manufacturing, utilities, construction, housing, retail and education, with named enterprise accounts including United Utilities, JELD-WEN, Billerudkorsnas, James Cropper, Impact Housing, Farrans Roadbridge JV, and Colas. Forward strategy emphasises resource recovery and waste-derived fuel rather than landfill disposal, illustrated by an April 2026 planning application for a ~90,000 tonnes/year hazardous waste and waste-derived fuel plant at Seal Sands, Teesside.

Name

Cumbria Waste Group

Legal name

Cumbria Waste Management Limited

Website

https://cumbriawaste.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Cumbria Waste Group is the largest regional waste management contractor in Cumbria, providing commercial waste collection, recycling, skip hire, hazardous and liquid waste treatment, and aggregate supply. Founded 1994, it serves 4,000-5,000+ commercial and public sector customers across North England and Southern Scotland via four Materials Recycling Facilities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Hazardous Waste Collection (562112), Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629), Waste Collection (5621)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

C&D Waste Collection & Hauling (BPALAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hazardous Waste & Universal Waste Handling (Batteries, Lamps, Aerosols) (BPABALAE), Universal Waste Management (Batteries, Lamps, Mercury-Containing) (BPALAHAL), C&D Transfer Stations & Consolidation (BPALAJAB)

Keywords

• Waste collection services
• Waste disposal services
• Recycling services
• Hazardous waste treatment
• Skip hire services

Headquarters

HQ city

Carlisle

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Waste Collection Services: Commercial waste collection including wheelie bins, skips, curtain sider collections. Revenue generated through service fees based on container size, frequency, and waste stream type.
2. Skip Hire: Skip hire services with various sizes (3, 6, 8, 12 yard) for domestic and commercial use. Revenue from hire fees plus potential permit costs.
3. Recyclate Processing and Sales: Processes recyclates including metal, plastic, cardboard, paper, and glass. Majority of recyclates turned back into original products (closed loop recycling). May include revenue from selling processed recyclates.
4. Hazardous and Liquid Waste Treatment: Treatment and disposal of hazardous and liquid waste streams. Includes drummed and packaged waste handling with on-site chemist support.
5. Aggregate Supply: Supply of recycled aggregates to construction and building industries from their aggregates recycling plant.
6. Household Waste Recycling Centre Management: Manages Household Waste Recycling Centres on behalf of local authorities (Cumberland Council and Westmorland & Furness Council).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Cumbria Waste Group provides commercial and public-sector waste management services including skip hire (3-12 yard open and enclosed skips), wheelie bin and sack collections, hazardous and liquid waste collection and treatment, recycled aggregates supply, recyclate processing, Household Waste Recycling Centre management, contaminated land services, and landfill operations. It operates four Materials Recycling Facilities, a liquid waste treatment plant, a hazardous waste transfer station, and an aggregates recycling plant, supported by a fleet of over 50 vehicles and 350 staff across 20+ locations in the North of England and Southern Scotland.

Product overview

Cumbria Waste Group operates as a comprehensive waste management provider offering a portfolio of integrated services rather than a single unified product. The core offering spans skip hire (3-12 yard open and enclosed skips), wheelie bin collections (240-1100 litre containers), hazardous and liquid waste treatment, and recycled aggregates. Supporting services include recyclate processing, household waste recycling centre management, contaminated land services, landfill operations, and curtain sider collections. The company processes materials through four Materials Recycling Facilities (MRFs) across Cumbria and Teesside, supported by its own fleet of over 50 vehicles. The service model emphasizes resource recovery through recycling and waste-derived fuel production rather than landfill disposal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Skip Hire Services Skip hire services offering 3, 6, 8, and 12 yard open skips as well as 8 and 12 yard enclosed skips for construction projects, home renovations, and commercial waste management. Open skips suit general, construction, inert, soil, rubble, garden, and household waste; enclosed skips are suitable for asbestos disposal. Standard hire period is two weeks, with 3-24 hour delivery and collection within 48 hours across Cumbria and South West Scotland.
• Wheelie Bin Collections Wheelie bin and sack waste collection services in various container sizes (1100 litre, 660 litre, 360 litre, 240 litre) and polythene sacks for commercial and business waste. Services include recycling, general waste, and refuse derived fuel (RDF) for energy recovery, with route-optimised collections.
• Hazardous and Liquid Waste Services Collection, treatment, and disposal of hazardous and liquid waste streams including WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment) and tanker hire services. The hazardous waste transfer station at Distington accepts drummed and packaged waste with qualified on-site chemists providing professional guidance for safe and compliant handling.
• Recycled Aggregates Supply of recycled aggregates produced by crushing, cleaning, and sorting mixed aggregates at the Hespin Wood aggregates recycling plant. Output is sold as reusable material for construction and building industries including road base and stone supply.
• Recyclate Processing Processing of recyclates including metal cans/tins, plastic bottles, cardboard, paper, and glass through state-of-the-art facilities with polymer separation. On-site balers available for large waste generators to reduce transport costs. Materials are turned directly back into original products through closed-loop recycling.
• Household Waste Recycling Centres Management of Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRC) on behalf of Cumberland Council and Westmorland & Furness Council. Sites accept residual waste, garden waste, dry recyclables, batteries, electrical equipment, textiles, paint, engine/cooking oil, printer cartridges, and lightbulbs. Some centres achieve recycling rates over 70%.
• Contaminated Land Services Management and remediation services for contaminated land sites, provided as part of the company's wider waste management portfolio.
• Landfill Services Operation of active landfill sites and closed landfill site management services, including the Hespin Wood Landfill site operated under environmental permit.
• Tanker Hire Tanker hire service for liquid waste collection and transport, supporting hazardous and liquid waste operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Hespin Wood wood and green waste recycling processes 70,000 tonnes per year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Cumberland CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCumbria Waste Group manages Household Waste Recycling Centres on behalf of Cumberland Council, helping to maximise local waste diversion for the local authority.
• Westmorland & Furness CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCumbria Waste Group manages Household Waste Recycling Centres on behalf of Westmorland & Furness Council, helping to maximise local waste diversion for the local authority.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Biffa plc: UK's largest listed waste management company offering commercial waste collection, recycling, skip hire and hazardous services. Directly comparable on customer mix, regional commercial collections and municipal contracts, but at materially greater scale.
• FCC Environment UK: UK subsidiary of Spanish-headquartered FCC, operating waste collection, transfer, recycling, treatment and disposal infrastructure including landfills. Closest peer on integrated service offering and municipal contract exposure, with national reach.
• Grundon Waste Management: UK private waste management specialist offering commercial collections, skip hire, hazardous waste services and landfill. Strong overlap on hazardous handling and aggregates/clean soil services, and similar family/independently owned structure.
• Renewi plc: UK-listed recycler and waste management company with operations in municipal, commercial and hazardous waste, including recycling outputs back to raw materials. Comparable on closed-loop recyclate sales and municipal/proposition mix.
• Hills Waste Solutions: UK regional waste management company providing skip hire, commercial collections, recycling and MRF services primarily in the South West. Closely comparable business model to Cumbria in scope and service mix, with a similar regional growth orientation.
• Mick George Group: East Midlands-based regional waste and aggregate company offering skip hire, muck-away, commercial collections and recycled aggregates. Direct comparator on skip hire and aggregates (Cumbria's Hespin Wood aggregates plant and skip business are similar product lines).
• Reconomy: UK-based outsourced waste management and recycling broker/specialist serving commercial customers across multiple regions, with compliance-focused offerings. Overlaps with Cumbria on multi-site commercial waste management and recycling sales to enterprise customers.

Broad incumbents

• Veolia UK: UK arm of global environmental services group providing waste collection, treatment, recycling and hazardous waste management. Overlaps on essentially every service line Cumbria offers, but Veolia UK operates a much larger national footprint and broader municipal portfolio.
• SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK: UK operations of SUEZ providing municipal and commercial waste collection, recycling, transfer, treatment and disposal. Similar end-to-end value chain to Cumbria but at significantly larger scale with strong local authority municipal contracts.
• Cleanaway Waste Management Limited: Australia-headquartered waste management company with UK operations through subsidiaries, providing commercial collections, skip hire, recycling and hazardous services. Larger and geographically broader incumbent providing a benchmark for the scale Cumbria could grow into.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cumbriawastegroup
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/cumbria-waste-group
• Xx.com/CumbriaWaste

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 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 Cumbria Waste Group