AWB Abfallwirtschaftsbetriebe Koln

What AWB Abfallwirtschaftsbetriebe Koln does

AWB Abfallwirtschaftsbetriebe Köln GmbH is a municipal waste-management and street-cleaning utility wholly owned by the City of Cologne through the Stadtwerke Köln group. Established in 1999/2002 (the firmographic data cites 2002; the company timeline cites 1999) and certified continuously since 2000/2001 under DIN EN ISO 9001 and as an EdDE Entsorgungsfachbetrieb, AWB holds an exclusive public mandate to deliver waste disposal, street cleaning, winter road maintenance, and ancillary municipal services across all Cologne districts (Veedel). It operates an integrated physical network — multiple Wertstoff-Center drop-off sites, a Schadstoffmobil hazardous-waste mobile unit on a rotating district schedule, Betriebshof depots, underground-container systems for housing estates, and a specialized fleet — together with digital channels (an AWB iOS/Android app with push-notification collection reminders, an online Abfuhrkalender per address, the Müll-ABC waste dictionary, and a Tauschbörse exchange platform).

The business model is fee-regulated under the city's Abfallgebührensatzung and the Straßenreinigungsgesetz NRW, producing recurring revenue from household waste and street-cleaning charges, plus transactional revenue from bulky-waste pickups, container rentals, the Arzttonne (medical-practice) container service (published per-size annual rates, e.g., 120l full service €788.83/year), and commercial/housing-company contracts served by dedicated account teams (Team WoWi, Team Gewerbe). Customer segments are Private Households (primary), Housing Companies (Wohnungswirtschaft), Commercial and Business Customers (Gewerbekunden), Medical Practices, and Educational Institutions. Go-to-market spans direct-to-consumer self-service (app/website), community-led engagement (Grill-Scouts, Kölle putzmunter, Meinsfuerdeins Kleidertauschbörse, environmental education for Kitas and schools), and sales-led account management. Management consists of two Geschäftsführer: Thomas Thalau (Chairman) and Uwe Unterseher-Herold. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the company has no funding rounds and operates as a regulated cost-recovery municipal utility.

Name

AWB Abfallwirtschaftsbetriebe Koln

Legal name

AWB Abfallwirtschaftsbetriebe Köln GmbH

Website

https://awbkoeln.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

AWB Abfallwirtschaftsbetriebe Köln GmbH is the municipal waste-management, street-cleaning, and winter-services utility for the City of Cologne, operating under exclusive public mandate with approximately 2,000 employees, digital self-service channels, and a citywide network of recycling centers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Waste Management

NAICS

Hazardous Waste Collection (562112), Waste Collection (5621), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection & Transfer (BPALABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Chemical Hazardous Waste Collection & Transportation (BPALAHAA), Tree Debris & Storm Cleanup Hauling (Branches, Logs) (HSAIAOAB)

Keywords

• Municipal waste collection
• Street cleaning services
• Recycling center operations
• Hazardous waste disposal
• Winter road maintenance

Headquarters

HQ city

Köln

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Waste Collection Fees (Abfallgebühren): Fees charged to Cologne residents and businesses for waste collection services, including residual waste (Restmüll), paper, bio-waste, and Wertstofftonne. Fees are regulated under the city's Abfallgebührensatzung and based on container size and frequency of collection.
2. Street Cleaning Fees (Straßenreinigungsgebühren): Charges for street cleaning services in Cologne, governed by the Straßenreinigungsgesetz NRW and the city's Straßenreinigungssatzung.
3. Container and Bulk Waste Services: Fees for container services, bulky waste (Sperrmüll) collection appointments, replacement bins, and bin washing services for both residential and commercial customers.
4. Specialized Container Services: Fees for specialized waste containers such as the 'Arzttonne' (medical practice waste container) and commercial hazardous waste (Gewerbeschadstoffe) collection, charged at published rates.
5. Winter Maintenance Services: Winter road maintenance (Winterdienst) services, part of the public service mandate from the City of Cologne.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

AWB Abfallwirtschaftsbetriebe Köln GmbH is the municipal waste management company of the City of Cologne, Germany, operating as a subsidiary within the Stadtwerke Köln group. It provides household and commercial waste collection (residual, organic/Bio, paper, and recyclable/Wertstoffe streams), street cleaning, winter road maintenance (snow clearance and gritting), operation of multiple fixed recycling centers (Wertstoff-Center), and hazardous waste disposal via a mobile collection service (Schadstoffmobil) for residents, businesses, and public infrastructure throughout Cologne.

Product overview

AWB Abfallwirtschaftsbetriebe Köln GmbH is a municipal waste management company serving Cologne, Germany, with approximately 2,000 employees. The company operates as a single, integrated service platform offering waste collection, recycling, street cleaning, and winter maintenance services. The core offering consists of multiple container-based waste collection services (Restmüll, Papier, Biotonne, Wertstofftonne), bulky waste collection, electronic waste disposal, hazardous waste collection (Schadstoff-Mobil), and street cleaning. These core services are supported by digital tools including the AWB App, online Abfallkalender (collection calendar), and Müll-ABC (waste guide). Additional value-added services include the Tonnen-Wasch-Service (bin cleaning), Tauschbörse and Meinsfürdeins Kleidertauschbörse (exchange platforms), AWB Grill-Scouts and Kölle putzmunter (community engagement programs), and environmental education services. Commercial customers receive specialized offerings including Arzttonne (medical waste bins), dedicated commercial waste services, and container solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Household Waste Collection Scheduled curbside collection of residual, organic (Bio), paper, and recyclable (Wertstoffe) waste from residential properties across the City of Cologne as the statutory municipal provider.
• Commercial Waste Collection Container-based and scheduled waste collection services tailored for businesses, commercial properties, and housing industry customers in Cologne, contracted separately from the household service.
• Street Cleaning Mechanical and manual cleaning of public roads, squares, and pedestrian areas throughout Cologne, performed as part of the city's municipal cleaning mandate.
• Winter Road Maintenance Snow clearing and gritting of roads, cycle paths, and pedestrian areas across Cologne during winter weather events, delivered as part of the city's winter service obligations.
• Recycling Centers (Wertstoff-Center) Network of fixed facilities distributed across Cologne where residents and businesses can drop off recyclable materials, bulky waste, and other separated waste streams.
• Mobile Hazardous Waste Collection (Schadstoffmobil) Scheduled mobile collection service that visits neighborhoods across Cologne to accept hazardous household waste such as paints, solvents, batteries, and chemicals from residents.
• AWB Mobile App and Online Collection Calendar Digital tools providing residents and businesses with waste and street-cleaning collection schedules, reminders, recycling information, and service notifications across Cologne.

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, minor and core.

• msg systems agsupportingTechnology or Integrationmsg systems ag serves as a commissioned service provider for the Smart Fleet Management project, receiving image data for AI labeling and training of the fleet's recognition systems. The company processes images captured by AWB vehicles for traffic sign detection and city image analysis purposes.
• Digitalagentur Netzlabor GmbHsupportingTechnology or IntegrationDigitalagentur Netzlabor GmbH is credited for the development, web design, programming, and realization of the AWB website (www.awbkoeln.de).
• consentmanager GmbHsupportingTechnology or Integrationconsentmanager GmbH provides the consent management tool integrated into the AWB website to manage cookie consent and data processing permissions for visitors, compliant with GDPR requirements.
• Facebook Ireland Ltd.minorGTM or Marketing PartnerAWB operates a Facebook page as a joint data controller with Facebook Ireland Ltd., using the platform for customer communication and community engagement. The partnership is governed by a joint controller agreement as required by GDPR Art. 26.
• Sparkasse KölnBonnsupportingOthersAWB's banking partner for SEPA direct debit transactions. Bank details: IBAN DE73370501980087002960, SWIFT COLSDE33.
• Stadtwerke Köln GmbHcoreOthersAWB is part of the Stadtwerke Köln (Cologne municipal utilities) group. The company's HRB registration and organizational structure indicate it operates within the Stadtwerke Köln corporate group. The Compliance Ombudsman's contact details reference the 'StadtwerkeKoelnKonzern' partnership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Berliner Stadtreinigung (BSR): Berlin's municipal waste-management and street-cleaning utility. Directly comparable as a German Stadtreinigung with an exclusive public mandate, integrated waste and street-cleaning services, and a similar scale of residential and commercial customer base.
• Abfallwirtschaftsbetrieb München (AWM): Munich's municipal waste management utility. Same public-mandate model, same service scope (collection, recycling, street cleaning), and operates inside the Stadtwerke München group — structurally almost identical to AWB Köln's relationship with Stadtwerke Köln.
• Stadtreinigung Hamburg: Hamburg's municipal waste management and street-cleaning company. Operates under the same German regulatory regime (KrWG, Landesabfallgesetze) with a comparable integrated service mandate, making it one of the closest functional peers to AWB.
• FES Frankfurter Entsorgungs- und Service GmbH: Frankfurt's municipal waste-management and street-cleaning company. Same mandate model, same service scope (collection, recycling, street cleaning, winter service), comparable size to AWB — making it one of the most direct peer benchmarks for AWB's operating economics.

Broad incumbents

• Veolia Deutschland: German subsidiary of global environmental-services group Veolia, active in municipal waste contracts, hazardous waste, and water. Comparable on hazardous-waste handling (Schadstoffmobil equivalent) and on contracted municipal service delivery.
• PreZero (Schwarz Group): Environmental-services arm of the Schwarz Group (Lidl/Kaufland parent), active in collection, sorting, and recycling across Germany. Comparable in scope to AWB's commercial hazardous-waste and recycling offerings, though privately owned and much larger in national reach.
• REMONDIS: One of Europe's largest private waste-management companies, operating across collection, recycling, water, and industrial services. Overlaps with AWB on municipal collection contracts and hazardous-waste handling but at much larger scale and broader portfolio.
• SUEZ Recycling and Recovery Deutschland: German arm of SUEZ, providing collection, recycling, and treatment services. Overlaps with AWB on household and commercial collection and on recycling-center operations.
• ALBA Group: Major German private recycling and waste-services group with activities in collection, sorting, and material recovery. Competes with AWB for commercial waste volumes and operates dual systems (DSD) relevant to AWB's recyclables handling.

Regional players

• Knettenbrech + Gurdulic: Mid-sized German waste-management company headquartered in Hessen, active in collection and recycling. Comparable in service offering to AWB's commercial and hazardous-waste business but does not hold an exclusive municipal mandate, making it a private-sector benchmark rather than a direct competitor in Cologne.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/awbkoeln
• Xx.com/awbkoeln_info

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 AWB Abfallwirtschaftsbetriebe Koln