Hygea

What Hygea does

Hygea is a public intercommunale (cooperative society under Belgian public law) founded in September 2011 and headquartered in Havré, Belgium. It operates as the designated waste management provider for 24 affiliated communes in the Mons-Borinage-Centre region of Wallonia, serving approximately 500,000 citizens through a hybrid direct-to-consumer model: scheduled door-to-door collection of residual waste, organic waste, PMC packaging, and paper-cardboard; a network of 25 recyparcs (recycling centers) processing over 100,000 tonnes annually and receiving roughly 700,000 visits per year; glass collection bubbles; and voluntary drop-off points. Complementary services include container rental, home collection assistance, waste-treatment coordination (transport to Ipalle for energy recovery, WEEE, green waste management, biomethanization, expanded-polystyrene compaction), and waste-prevention programs such as zero-waste workshops, school animations, and a 12-module Master Composter training program delivered with ASBL Comité Jean Pain.

The revenue model is primarily tax-funded: residents of the 24 affiliated communes access services through the communal waste tax, while non-residents pay €110/year for access cards, TPE/PME and ASBL organizations purchase prepaid access cards at €430 and €220 respectively, and households can buy additional quota at €9 per point. The 2026-2028 strategic plan, branded 'Ligne Verte', projects receipts of €27-28M against charges of €64.5-67.4M, with the gap funded by communal taxes and regional subsidies. Distribution is multi-channel: physical infrastructure (25 recyparcs, two administrative offices in Cuesmes and Manage), a digital webshop (webshop.hygea.be, launched January 2022) for access card and quota management, and community engagement through workshops, newsletters, and PR campaigns coordinated via COPIDEC and partnerships with Fost Plus, Repair Together, and local sheltered-work enterprises (ETA). Hygea is governed by an Assembly General, a 20-member Board of Directors representing communes and IDEA, and operates with approximately 372 employees as of the most recent disclosure.

Name

Hygea

Legal name

Intercommunale de Gestion Environnementale Hygea

Website

https://hygea.be

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Hygea is a Belgian public intercommunale founded in 2011 that provides municipal waste collection, treatment, and recycling services across 24 communes in the Mons-Borinage-Centre region, serving roughly 500,000 citizens via door-to-door collection, 25 recyparcs, and prevention programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Waste Management

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Waste Management and Remediation Services (562), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950), Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Multi-Family / HOA MSW Collection (Apartments, Condos) (EUAIAAAJ), Universal Waste Management (Batteries, Lamps, Mercury-Containing) (BPALAHAL)

Keywords

• Municipal waste management
• Recycling center services
• Door-to-door collection
• Waste treatment services
• Circular economy programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Havré

HQ country

Belgium

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Communal waste tax collection: Services are funded through communal waste taxes paid by citizens in affiliated communes. Access to recyparcs is free for domiciled citizens, included in their municipal waste tax. Revenue is derived from intercommunal arrangements with 24 partner communes.
2. Access fees for non-resident citizens: Citizens outside the Hygea zone can purchase annual access cards for 110€ to use recyparcs.
3. TPE/PME and ASBL access cards: Small businesses and non-profits outside regular access conditions can purchase prepaid cards: 430€ for TPE/PME, 220€ for ASBL.
4. Additional quota purchases: Households can purchase additional quotas for specific waste materials at 9€ per point, in increments of 5 points minimum.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Hygea is a public intercommunale providing integrated municipal waste management services across 24 communes in the Mons-Borinage-Centre region of Wallonia, Belgium. Core offerings include scheduled door-to-door collection of residual waste, organic waste, PMC packaging, and paper-cardboard; a network of 25 recyparcs accepting over 100,000 tonnes of waste annually; voluntary drop-off points and glass collection bubbles; waste treatment including energy recovery and WEEE management; and waste prevention programs including composting and zero-waste workshops.

Product overview

Hygea operates as an intercommunale (public intermunicipal company) providing integrated environmental management services across 24 municipalities in the Mons-Borinage-Centre region of Wallonia, Belgium. The company's portfolio centers on waste collection and treatment services: door-to-door collection of residual waste, organic waste, PMC (packaging), and paper-cardboard; a network of 25 recyparcs (recycling centers); voluntary drop-off points; and glass collection bubbles. Complementary services include container rental, home service, and waste prevention programs featuring zero-waste and composting workshops. Hygea offers a digital platform (webshop.hygea.be) for online access card management, quota tracking, and service requests. The company also sells compost drums (Milko with Brass'compost) to citizens. The offering is structured as a public service utility rather than a software product, combining physical infrastructure (collection vehicles, recycling centers, containers) with citizen-facing services (sorting guidance, educational programs, access management).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Collecte en porte-à-porte (Door-to-door Collection) Scheduled door-to-door waste collection of residual waste, organic waste, PMC (packaging), and paper-cardboard across 24 affiliated municipalities in the Mons-Borinage-Centre region. Available to households and businesses in the service area.
• Recyparcs Network Network of 25 recycling centers enabling citizens and businesses to deposit recyclable, bulky, hazardous, or special waste. Sites accept over 100,000 tonnes annually and receive 700,000 visits per year. Free for domiciled citizens in affiliated communes; paid access for non-residents, TPE/PME, and ASBL.
• Points d'apport volontaire (Voluntary Drop-off Points) Voluntary drop-off points (PAV) for waste collection accessible to citizens. Includes dedicated containers for various waste streams distributed across the service area.
• Bulles à verre (Glass Bubbles) Glass collection points distributed across the service area enabling citizens to deposit glass packaging separately for recycling.
• Traitement des déchets (Waste Treatment) Waste treatment services including transport of residual waste to Ipalle for energy recovery, management of electrical and electronic equipment waste (WEEE), green waste management, biomethanization, and expanded polystyrene compaction.
• Prév Waste prevention programs including zero-waste initiatives, composting workshops, school animations, and lending of prevention equipment (sorting kits, reusable cups) for community events.
• Location de conteneurs (Container Rental) Rental service for waste containers available through the Hygea webshop for temporary or event-based waste management needs.
• Service à domicile (Home Service) Home service enabling citizens to request waste collection assistance at their residence, available through the Hygea webshop.
• Fût à compost Milko avec Brass'compost (Milko Compost Drum) 290-liter compost drum with approximately 10 kg mass, sold at cost price (32.20 euros) to citizens participating in Hygea's composting workshops. Includes perforated base for optimal aeration and Brass'compost mixing tool.
• Cartes d'accès aux recyparcs (Recyparc Access Cards) Access cards required for entry to Hygea's 25 recyparcs. Citizens in affiliated municipalities receive cards included in their communal waste tax; non-resident cards available for an annual fee of 110 euros; TPE/PME prepaid cards at 430 euros; ASBL prepaid cards at 220 euros.

Quantifiable outcome

• 463 kg of waste per citizen in 2022, down 13.5% from 2021 (525 kg)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• COPIDEC (Fédération des opérateurs du secteur public de gestion de déchets en Wallonie)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOPIDEC is the federation of 7 public waste management operators in Wallonia, including Hygea, BEP Environnement, Idelux Environnement, Inbw, Intradel, Ipalle and Tibi. Hygea participates in collaborative campaigns and shares best practices on common issues such as recycling center operations, sorting education, and staff safety through this federation.
• ASBL Comité Jean PaincoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerProfessional organization providing composting training to Hygea's volunteer Master Composters (Guides Composteurs). The 12-module training program covers theoretical and practical composting techniques, with sessions held in evenings or Saturdays.
• Repair Together (Réseau des Repair Cafés de Wallonie et de Bruxelles)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to host the Repair Café Mobile in Hygea's territory, enabling citizens to repair objects rather than discard them. The mobile repair workshop visits various locations to provide free repair services and promote waste reduction.
• Fost PluscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on PMC (packaging) sorting campaigns and awareness initiatives. Joint campaigns including 'Tout ne va pas avec tout' (Not everything goes with everything) to improve sorting accuracy.
• Local ETA (Entreprises de Travail Adapté)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with local sheltered work enterprises as part of social and environmental responsibility commitment. These partnerships support local employment while advancing Hygea's sustainability goals.
• Commune of ManagecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of new modern recyparc on Manage territory, representing approximately 2.814 million euro investment with 812,000 euro subsidy from Walloon Region.
• IDEA (Associé B)coreOthersIDEA is represented on Hygea's Board of Directors with 4 administrators (Jean-Charles Deneufbourg, Carlo Di Antonio, Damien Jenart, Florence Monier). As an associated partner, IDEA participates in governance decisions.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Veolia Belgium: Global waste management major with Belgian operations covering collection, treatment, and recycling. Competes for commercial/industrial accounts (TPE/PME) and offers broader service capabilities than Hygea's municipal focus.
• Renewi: Listed waste-to-product company with operations across the Benelux including Belgium. Offers competing collection, recycling, and waste-to-resource services at scale; serves as an adjacent commercial competitor for non-residential waste streams in Hygea's territory.

Regional players

• IMOG: Flemish intercommunale providing waste management for 22 municipalities in West Flanders. Similar intercommunale governance model with door-to-door collection and recyparcs, but regional peer operating under Flemish rather than Walloon regulatory framework.
• IVAGO: Flemish intercommunale handling waste for the Ghent region. Same public intercommunale model with recyparc network and selective collection, but operates in Flanders rather than Wallonia, so different regulatory framework and no direct service territory overlap.

Direct peers

• INBW: Walloon intercommunale (Intercommunale du Brabant wallon) managing waste services for communes in Walloon Brabant. Same operational model as Hygea with COPIDEC membership and similar service portfolio including recyparcs and selective collections.
• INTRADEL: Walloon intercommunale providing waste management services across 72 communes in the Liège region. Same intercommunale governance structure, similar service mix of door-to-door collection, recyparcs, and prevention programs.
• BEP Environnement: Walloon intercommunale handling waste for communes in the Namur province. Same public intercommunale model and member of the COPIDEC federation, providing directly comparable operational structure and service portfolio.
• TIBI: Walloon intercommunale active in the Mons-Borinage region alongside Hygea. Same intercommunale model, comparable territory and demographic profile, COPIDEC federation member.
• Idelux Environnement: Walloon intercommunale serving communes in the Province of Luxembourg. Same public intercommunale model with recyparc network, door-to-door collection, and prevention/education services; COPIDEC federation member.
• IPALLE: Walloon intercommunale operating MSW collection and recyparcs in the Hainaut-Ouest region. Direct peer: same public intercommunale model, same COPIDEC federation, and receives Hygea's residual waste for energy recovery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@intercommunalehygea5573
• Facebookfacebook.com/Hygeaintercommunale
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hygeaintercommunale/?originalSubdomain=be

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Hygea