The AVG Group

What The AVG Group does

The AVG Group (legal name: AVG Abfallentsorgungs- und Verwertungsgesellschaft Köln mbH) is a municipally-owned waste management company headquartered in Köln, Germany, operating since 1992 under the Stadtwerke Köln holding group. The company runs an integrated waste treatment platform comprising a residual waste incineration plant with combined heat and power (CHP) generation (~340,000 MWh of electricity and steam fed into public grids), the Deponie Vereinigte Ville landfill with gas capture, two public recycling yards in Niehl and Heumar, a paper processing facility, an ash processing plant (Rostascheaufbereitung), a composting operation (AVG Kompostierung GmbH), an anaerobic digestion facility producing biomethane (~9,000 MWh/year), and a waste wood processing plant. Four wholly-owned subsidiaries (AVG Ressourcen, AVG Kompostierung, AVG Service, AVG Logistik) handle resource recovery, composting, support services, and logistics respectively.

The business model is built on four revenue streams: per-tonne waste acceptance and processing fees at its facilities (with BEHG CO2 surcharges of €55/tonne through end-2025 and a €55–65/tonne corridor from 2026), energy sales from CHP and biomethane, secondary materials sales (recovered paper, metals, plastics, wood, RAL-certified compost, and secondary solid fuels like SBS/EBS Fluff for the cement industry), and ancillary municipal and corporate services. Customers are primarily the City of Cologne and surrounding municipalities under a 10-year disposal security mandate, supplemented by commercial and industrial waste producers and energy offtakers such as RheinEnergie.

FY2023 reported revenue was €110 million with a €26 million company result on a €130 million balance sheet and €19 million in personnel expenses across approximately 400 employees. The company holds Entsorgungsfachbetrieb certification, R1 energy recovery status (2024), RAL-Gütezeichen Kompost, and INQA corporate culture certification, and publishes annual sustainability reports aligned with the German Sustainability Code (DNK). The cultural program Treff am Ofen operates as a community engagement venue on the incineration plant site.

Name

The AVG Group

Legal name

AVG Abfallentsorgungs- und Verwertungsgesellschaft Köln mbH

Website

https://avgkoeln.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The AVG Group (AVG Köln) is a municipally-owned integrated waste management company serving Cologne, Germany, operating waste-to-energy, recycling, composting, landfill, and biomethane facilities under the Stadtwerke Köln holding group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Solid Waste Combustors and Incinerators (562213)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Anaerobic Digestion (AD) & Biogas/RNG Production (Organics Feedstocks) (BPALAEAC)

Keywords

• Waste management services
• Waste-to-energy generation
• Material recycling services
• Secondary fuel production
• Municipal waste disposal

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Waste Processing Fees: Fees charged for waste acceptance and processing at RMVA Köln, recycling centers (Niehl, Heumar), composting facility, and landfill. Fees based on waste type and fossil carbon content (BEHG).
2. Energy Sales: Revenue from electricity and steam generation via waste-to-energy plant (CHP). ~340,000 MWh electricity and steam fed into public grids annually.
3. Secondary Materials Sales: Sales of recovered materials including secondary fuels (Fluff), secondary raw materials (paper, metals, plastics, wood), and compost products.
4. Biomethane Sales: Revenue from biomethane production via anaerobic digestion facility, producing ~9,000 MWh biogas in initial operating year.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The AVG Group collects, treats, and reuses commercial, industrial, and municipal waste through an integrated platform of waste-to-energy incineration, material recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion, landfill gas recovery, and secondary fuel production. It serves municipalities, commercial and industrial customers, and households in the Cologne region, and sells recovered secondary raw materials, secondary fuels, compost, and renewable energy (electricity and district heat) into industrial and public-grid markets.

Product overview

The AVG Group (AVG Köln) is a municipal waste management company providing integrated waste treatment and recycling services in Cologne, Germany. The company operates a unified platform of waste-to-energy and recycling infrastructure, comprising the Restmüllverbrennungsanlage (RMVA) Köln waste incineration plant with combined heat and power generation, the Deponie Vereinigte Ville landfill with gas recovery, multiple recycling yards (Recyclinghöfe) at Niehl and Heumar, and specialized processing facilities including paper recovery, ash processing, composting, biomass fuel production, and anaerobic digestion. Four subsidiaries (AVG Ressourcen, AVG Kompostierung, AVG Service, AVG Logistik) operate distinct service lines for resource recovery, composting, support services, and logistics. The company produces secondary fuels (Fluff/SBS/EBS) from commercial waste for cement industry use, generates renewable energy from waste and landfill gas, and recovers secondary raw materials including metals, paper, plastics, and wood. A cultural engagement program (TREFF AM OFEN) operates on-site at the incineration plant.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TAO (Treff am Ofen): Cultural event venue and series hosted at the waste incineration facility, featuring music, cabaret, and art exhibitions
• RENEE App

Products and services

• Waste-to-energy incineration (RMVA Köln) Incineration of residual municipal and commercial waste at the Restmüllverbrennungsanlage Köln with combined heat and power (Kraft-Wärme-Kopplung) generation producing electricity and district heat fed into public grids. R1 energy recovery status certified.
• Secondary fuel production (EBS / SBS / Fluff) Production of secondary solid fuels (Ersatzbrennstoffe/Sekundärbrennstoffe), including high-calorific Fluff for the cement industry and biomass fuels for heating plants, with NIR spectroscopy-based quality control. Sold to cement plants and biomass power plants.
• Material recycling and recovery (Stoffliche Verwertung) Processing and recovery of secondary raw materials including paper, cardboard, plastics, metals, wood, and mineral waste for reuse in manufacturing and industrial applications.
• Composting services (AVG Kompostierung GmbH) Industrial composting of green and bio-waste into RAL-certified Frischkompost and Fertigkompost products using the Kreislaufpass system, supplied for agricultural and landscaping use.
• Landfill operations (Deponie Vereinigte Ville) Landfill operations with gas recovery via BHKW, leachate treatment, and environmental monitoring, producing renewable energy from captured methane for use in the public grid.
• Municipal recycling yards (Recyclinghöfe Niehl and Heumar) Public recycling yards accepting various waste materials from citizens Monday-Friday 7:00-17:00 and Saturday 7:00-12:30, operated by AVG Ressourcen with published per-tonne price lists.
• Paper and cardboard processing (Papieraufbereitungsanlage) Paper recovery facility processing paper and cardboard waste streams into secondary raw materials for the paper manufacturing industry.
• Bottom ash processing (Rostascheaufbereitung) Incinerator bottom ash processing and conditioning facility recovering metals and producing construction materials from incinerator ash.
• Biogas / biomethane production (Vergärungsanlage) Anaerobic digestion facility converting bio-waste into biomethane for renewable energy supply, supporting regional renewable energy goals.
• Waste wood processing (Altholzaufbereitung) Waste wood preparation facility producing biomass fuels and secondary wood materials for the wood products industry and heating plants.
• Waste logistics services (AVG Logistik) Logistics operations managing waste transportation, fleet services, and container logistics for the AVG Group and external customers.
• Rooftop solar electricity generation Photovoltaic electricity generation from rooftop solar installations on AVG facilities, operated in partnership with RheinEnergie AG and fed into public grids.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300,000+ tonnes CO2 equivalent avoided annually
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Gesamtgrundschule Nesselrodestraße NippesminorOthers · 1 January 2016TuWaS initiative sponsorship; natural science and technology education for grades 1-4; experiments and investigations in MINT subjects
• Stadt Köln (City of Cologne)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2013Municipal partnership for environmental education; joint Umweltpädagogik initiatives; coordination on waste management concepts
• RheinEnergie AGcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2010Joint solar energy partnership; largest PV installation on left Rhine bank (2,304 modules, 480,000 kWh); second plant on ash processing facility roof (1,280 modules, 290,000 kWh)
• ITAD (Interessenverband der Thermischen Abfallbehandler in Deutschland)minorOthersIndustry association for waste-to-energy plant operators; AVG participates in industry advocacy and shares best practices
• CEWEP (Confederation of European Waste-to-Energy Plants)minorOthersEuropean industry association representing waste-to-energy plant operators; AVG engaged in EU-level policy discussions
• Max-Ernst-Gesamtschule BocklemündminorOthersKURS partnership; STEM education support; students learn about waste management and AVG as potential employer
• Remondis AG & Co. KGminorOthersRelated waste management company; listed as associated entity on AVG website links page
• Technische Hochschule KölnminorOthersGermany Stipendium partnership; two students sponsored annually (50% AVG, 50% Federal Ministry); internship opportunities

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Remondis AG & Co. KG: One of Germany's largest private waste management and recycling companies, operating across MSW collection, recycling, and waste-to-energy. Listed as an associated entity on AVG's own website. Comparable as a direct German waste-management peer with overlapping service lines (collection, recycling, secondary fuels).
• Veolia Deutschland: German subsidiary of global environmental services group Veolia, offering integrated waste management, recycling, and energy-from-waste services. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating across municipal, commercial, and industrial waste segments in Germany.
• SUEZ Deutschland: German operations of international environmental services group SUEZ (now part of Veolia), offering waste collection, recycling, and energy recovery services. Comparable broad-incumbent peer with overlapping municipal and industrial waste services in Germany.

Regional players

• Stadtreinigung Hamburg (SRH): Municipal waste management company owned by the City of Hamburg, providing collection, recycling, and waste-to-energy services for a major German metro region. Highly comparable business model to AVG as a publicly-owned municipal operator with integrated infrastructure, but in a different geography (Hamburg vs. Cologne).
• Berliner Stadtreinigung (BSR): Municipal waste management company owned by the State of Berlin, one of Germany's largest municipal waste operators. Comparable as a publicly-owned integrated waste management and recycling business, but operating in the Berlin-Brandenburg region.
• Abfallwirtschaftsbetrieb München (AWM): Municipal waste management company owned by the City of Munich, providing integrated collection, recycling, composting, and waste-to-energy services. Comparable to AVG in scope and public-ownership structure, but serving the Munich metro region.

Direct peers

• EEW Energy from Waste GmbH: Specialized operator of waste-to-energy plants across Germany and Europe, focused on thermal treatment of residual waste with energy recovery. Directly comparable to AVG's RMVA Köln waste-to-energy operations and CHP-based energy generation model.

Emerging players

• Indaver Deutschland: European specialist in industrial and hazardous waste treatment with energy recovery, operating waste-to-energy facilities in Germany and the Benelux. Comparable for AVG's commercial/industrial waste treatment and secondary fuel production lines, though Indaver's niche focus differs from AVG's broad municipal mandate.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookde-de.facebook.com/AVGkoeln
• Instagraminstagram.com/avgkoeln
• Xx.com/avg_koeln

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries4 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 The AVG Group