WasteCare
WasteCare is a privately held UK waste-management firm, founded in 1980 in Leeds, that specialises in recycling photographic, x-ray and printing waste to recover silver for industrial and medical customers across the United Kingdom.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1980
- HeadquartersLeeds, United Kingdom
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What WasteCare does
WasteCare is a privately held UK waste-management company headquartered in Leeds, founded in 1980 by Peter Hunt, who continues to serve as Managing Director and Founder. The firm operates in a narrow specialist niche: recycling photographic, x-ray and printing waste streams to recover silver. The commercial premise is that these industrial and medical waste streams contain recoverable precious metal (silver halide in film emulsions, silver in fixer solutions and printing residues), which is extracted and returned to the metal value chain.
The company markets under the trade name WasteCare UK and is included in current listings of UK waste-management operators, suggesting ongoing commercial activity across the United Kingdom. Headcount is reported in the 101–250 employee band, consistent with a mid-sized specialist services business rather than a generalist waste hauler. Within the UK waste-management industry, WasteCare is positioned alongside general commercial, construction, and skip-hire operators but differentiates itself through its silver-recovery specialism tied to imaging and print waste.
No technology stack, proprietary software platform, certifications, partnerships, or pricing model is disclosed in the available source data. The company does not appear to have a parent organisation, disclosed institutional investors, or a public capital-markets listing. The available materials support only a thin factual description; revenue model specifics (per-tonne pricing, recycling fees, commodity-offtake structures), customer segments, and competitive positioning details are not characterised in the sources reviewed.
WasteCare firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WasteCare
- Website
- https://wastecare.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1980
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- WasteCare is a privately held UK waste-management firm, founded in 1980 in Leeds, that specialises in recycling photographic, x-ray and printing waste to recover silver for industrial and medical customers across the United Kingdom.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WasteCare industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Waste Management and Recycling Services
- NAICS
- Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292)
- SIC
- Hazardous Waste Management (4955)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Specialty Materials Recovery (Carpet, Mattresses, Bulky Items) (EUAIADAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Universal Waste Management (Batteries, Lamps, Mercury Devices, Aerosols) (BPALAFAJ)
Keywords
Where WasteCare is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Leeds
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
WasteCare business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
WasteCare product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WasteCare is a UK-based waste management company that recycles photographic, x-ray, and printing waste to recover silver. Founded in 1980 and headquartered in Leeds, the company collects and processes silver-bearing waste streams from businesses for the purpose of extracting and recovering silver content.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Photographic Waste Recycling
- X-Ray Film Recycling
- Printing Waste Recycling
- Silver Recovery
Companies that use WasteCare
Customer profileIdeal customer profiles1 record
WasteCare technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
WasteCare partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves3 records
Expansion highlights2 records
WasteCare competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Heraeus Precious Metals: Global precious metals and technology group with significant silver refining and recycling operations. Comparable hazardous-waste-to-precious-metal recovery capability at much larger scale, with overlap in industrial and photographic precious metal feedstocks.
- Umicore: Belgian-headquartered materials technology and recycling group with a major precious metals refining business. Compares on silver and other precious metals recovery from industrial waste streams at significantly larger scale.
- Johnson Matthey: UK-headquartered multinational precious metals refiner and chemicals company. Operates at much larger scale in silver and other precious metals refining, recycling, and recovery — overlapping end markets (industrial, medical, photographic) but broad portfolio vs. WasteCare's narrow specialisation.
- Boliden AB: Swedish metals and mining company with smelting and recycling operations for precious metals including silver. Comparable as a large-scale precious metals recycler operating in Europe, though more focused on mining/origin streams and electronics scrap.
Emerging players
- Maratek Environmental: Canadian company specialising in recycling photochemical and fixer waste from the printing and imaging industries. Comparable niche player focused on a subset of the same photographic/printing waste streams WasteCare handles.
- 3DOM Group: UK-based silver recovery company specifically focused on x-ray and photographic film recycling. A direct niche competitor for the company's x-ray waste recovery service line.
Direct peers
- Ames Goldsmith Corporation: Silver products and silver-bearing recyclables processor with operations in the UK and US. Comparable as a specialist silver refiner/recycler serving photographic, imaging, and industrial customers.
- Mastermelt Group: UK-based precious metals refiner specialising in precious metal recovery from industrial and photographic waste streams. Most directly comparable UK-based silver recovery specialist with overlapping customer base and similar operating model.
- Metallix Refining: US-based precious metals refiner recovering gold, silver, platinum, and palladium from industrial and photographic waste. Closely comparable specialist silver refiner serving similar end-customers (hospitals, printers, industrial users).
Regional players
- Royal Mint: UK state-owned precious metals processor and refiner. While primarily a coin and bullion producer, it operates precious metals refining and recycling capabilities in the UK market, serving as a UK-based broader competitor in the precious metals recovery space.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
WasteCare social profiles
Digital presenceWasteCare financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WasteCare leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
WasteCare funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WasteCare M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WasteCare
What does WasteCare do?
WasteCare is a UK-based waste management company that recycles photographic, x-ray, and printing waste to recover silver. Founded in 1980 and headquartered in Leeds, the company collects and processes silver-bearing waste streams from businesses for the purpose of extracting and recovering silver content.
When was WasteCare founded?
WasteCare was founded in 1980. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is WasteCare based?
WasteCare is headquartered in Leeds, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
Who are WasteCare's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Heraeus Precious Metals, Umicore, Johnson Matthey and Boliden AB. Emerging players are Maratek Environmental and 3DOM Group. Direct peers are Ames Goldsmith Corporation, Mastermelt Group and Metallix Refining. Royal Mint is listed as a regional player.
Does WasteCare have an API?
No public API is recorded for WasteCare.
What industry is WasteCare in?
WasteCare's product category is Waste Management and Recycling Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAIADAL, Specialty Materials Recovery (Carpet, Mattresses, Bulky Items), with a secondary code of BPALAFAJ, Universal Waste Management (Batteries, Lamps, Mercury Devices, Aerosols). Its NAICS code is 562211 and its SIC code is 4955.