HIPPO

What HIPPO does

HIPPO (legally Waste Management Systems Ltd., registered in England under company number 4418836) is a UK-wide waste removal and disposal services company headquartered in Portsmouth. Founded in the early 2000s and operating for over 20 years, HIPPO serves homeowners, tradespeople, and commercial customers across the United Kingdom through three core service lines: HIPPOBAG (flexible, flat-packed waste collection bags in multiple sizes collected from the doorstep), Man and Van (full-service waste clearance with heavy lifting), and Skip Hire (skip rental delivered via trusted local partners, with optional permit arrangement). Additional sub-brands and dedicated waste-type services cover trade (HIPPOTRADE), commercial customers, white goods, furniture, office clearance, and moving house rubbish removal.

The underlying operating platform combines an e-commerce booking site (available 24/7), a telephone sales line (0333 999 0 999), email marketing with open/click tracking, and Google AdWords with retargeting. The physical layer consists of a fleet of bespoke HIPPO vehicles fitted with Euro 6 engines and supported by routing software for efficient collection planning, plus a network of trusted local skip-hire partners and a 'Become a Stockist' programme that distributes HIPPOBAGs through third-party retailers. The company is registered with the UK Environment Agency's Register of Waste Carriers, Brokers and Dealers (CBDU129843) and holds ISO9001 and ISO14001 certifications from UKAS-accredited LRQA Group Limited.

HIPPO's business model is purely transactional and pay-as-you-go across all service lines, with no subscription tier or recurring contract pricing visible in the source data. Revenue is generated from one-time bag sales and collection fees (HIPPOBAG), transaction-based fees for Man and Van clearances, unit-based skip hire fees, and trade/commercial collection charges. Customer acquisition is driven by SEO-optimised service and waste-type pages, a content blog, organic social media (Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn), paid search, Trustpilot-driven word of mouth, and a distinctive motorsport sponsorship (HIPPO Suzuki). The company reports diverting over 95% of collected waste from landfill, achieving carbon neutrality in 2023 via an offsetting partnership with Ecologi, and serving over one million customers cumulatively.

Name

HIPPO

Legal name

Waste Management Systems Ltd.

Website

https://hippowaste.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

HIPPO is a UK-wide waste removal and disposal services company serving homeowners, tradespeople, and commercial customers through HIPPOBAG, Man and Van, Skip Hire, and dedicated waste-type services. It operates a bespoke Euro 6 fleet, a partner-based skip network, and ISO-certified, carbon-neutral operations across the United Kingdom.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Removal Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Junk Removal & Hauling (HSAKALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Junk Removal & Disposal Coordination (HSAFAFAH), Appliance & Scrap Metal Pickup (Residential) (HSAIAOAI), Industrial & Commercial Waste Collection (Roll-off/Front-load) (IMAIAFAB)

Keywords

• Waste removal services
• Rubbish clearance
• Skip hire
• Waste collection
• Trade waste management

Headquarters

HQ city

Portsmouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. HIPPOBAG Sales and Collection: Sale and collection of HIPPOBAG waste collection bags. Customers order bags that are delivered flat-packed, fill them with waste, and book collection when ready. Revenue generated from bag sales and collection fees.
2. Man and Van Service: Full-service waste removal where HIPPO team visits customer location, loads waste, and disposes of it. Tailored pricing based on exact waste needs. Revenue from service fees.
3. Skip Hire: Skip rental through trusted local partners. Customers book skips online 24/7 or by phone, with HIPPO arranging delivery and permit acquisition. Revenue from skip hire fees.
4. Trade/Commercial Waste Services: Waste removal services for tradespeople and businesses, including collection from client locations to enable quick job transitions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

HIPPO is a UK-wide rubbish removal service offering three core products: HIPPOBAG (flat-packed waste bags for fill-and-collect from the doorstep), Man and Van (full-service waste clearance with heavy lifting by HIPPO's team), and Skip Hire (skip rental delivered by trusted local partners). The company also operates HIPPOTRADE for tradespeople collecting waste at client locations and Commercial Waste services for businesses, unified under a single 24/7 online booking platform with nationwide UK coverage.

Product overview

HIPPO is a UK-wide rubbish removal and waste disposal services company offering three core service products: HIPPOBAG (flexible bag collection in multiple sizes delivered flat-packed), Man and Van (full-service heavy lifting and waste clearance by HIPPO's team), and Skip Hire (skip rental with delivery and optional permit handling in three sizes). The company also operates two sub-brands: HIPPOTRADE for trade professionals and Commercial Waste for business customers. Additional services cover specific waste types including white goods, furniture, office clearance, and moving house rubbish removal. The portfolio is unified under a single booking platform with nationwide coverage through a network of local partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• HIPPOBAG: A flexible, reliable and ultra-strong bag service for rubbish removal. Available in a range of useful sizes, flat-packed for convenience. Collected from customers' homes when they are ready.
• Man and Van
• Skip Hire
• HIPPOTRADE

Products and services

• HIPPOBAG Flexible, ultra-strong waste collection bags delivered flat-packed in various sizes for fill-and-collect waste disposal from the customer's doorstep, for homeowners, tradespeople, and businesses.
• Man and Van Full-service rubbish removal where HIPPO's team visits the customer's location, performs heavy lifting, loads waste, and cleans up afterward. Pricing is tailored to the exact waste collected.
• Skip Hire Skip rental service with online 24/7 booking, delivery by trusted local partners, and optional permit arrangement for public road placement; available in 6, 8, or 12 cubic yard sizes.
• HIPPOTRADE Trade waste collection service designed for tradespeople, collecting waste directly from client locations to enable quick job transitions.
• Commercial Waste

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 95% of waste diverted from landfill
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• EcologicoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcologi is a carbon offsetting partner that works with HIPPO to achieve carbon neutrality. HIPPO invests in Ecologi projects to offset carbon emissions from their fleet of vehicles and waste disposal operations.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Clearabee: UK-based on-demand rubbish removal service offering same-day and scheduled collections directly to consumers and businesses. Closest direct competitor to HIPPO's Man and Van and HIPPOBAG propositions, operating across multiple UK regions with a similar book-online model.
• AnyJunk: UK-wide on-demand junk removal service with national coverage, two-hour collection slots and online booking. Directly comparable to HIPPO's Man and Van service, targeting homeowners and businesses needing fast, no-heavy-lifting clearance.
• Simply Waste Solutions: UK commercial and trade waste collection specialist operating across multiple regions with scheduled services. Comparable to HIPPO's HIPPOTRADE and Commercial Waste offerings, especially for builders, retailers, and small businesses.
• Junkbusters: UK house clearance and junk removal operator offering single-item to full-property clearances. Comparable to HIPPO's residential rubbish removal and furniture disposal lines, typically competing on price and turnaround.
• WasteCare: UK waste management broker and collector arranging collection of household, commercial and construction waste via a partner network. Closely mirrors HIPPO's distribution model — own website, partner hauliers, and licensed carrier status.
• White Knight (House Clearance / Rubbish Removal): UK rubbish removal and house clearance specialist with nationwide coverage and a same-day promise on many bookings. Overlaps directly with HIPPO's doorstep HIPPOBAG collection and Man and Van services across homeowners and businesses.

Broad incumbents

• Biffa: One of the UK's largest waste management companies, providing collections, recycling, and disposal across municipal, commercial, and industrial customers. A broad incumbent whose growing consumer and skip-hire offerings increasingly overlap with HIPPO's core services.
• FCC Environment UK: UK arm of FCC Environment, providing waste collection, treatment, and disposal for municipal and commercial customers. Relevant as a large-scale licensed carrier and operator that overlaps with HIPPO on commercial, trade, and skip hire channels.
• Veolia UK: Major UK environmental services provider offering municipal collections, commercial waste, recycling, and remediation. Competes with HIPPO indirectly through commercial waste contracts and increasingly through consumer-facing skip and clearance propositions.

Others

• Council / Local Authority Waste Services (e.g., local council bulky waste collections): UK councils run free or low-cost bulky waste collections that are the default alternative to HIPPO's paid HIPPOBAG / Man and Van services for many homeowners. They are not commercial peers, but they set the price-and-convenience benchmark HIPPO must beat to win repeat business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hippobag
• Facebookfacebook.com/hippowaste
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hippowaste
• Instagraminstagram.com/hippowaste

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 HIPPO