What ETM Recycling does

ETM Recycling is a Bristol-based waste management company founded in 1994 by Eddie McCormack, operating as a family-owned business serving commercial, construction, local-authority, and domestic customers across Bristol, Bath, and the wider South West of England. Its core services include skip hire (4/6/8/12 yard sizes), grab lorry hire, road sweeper hire, waste tipping, and managed waste contracts, with a direct-to-customer go-to-market supported by online skip booking. The business is anchored by a £4 million Materials Recovery Facility that processes more than 500 tonnes of material per day at a 98% recycling rate, enabling in-house sorting of mixed commercial waste, UPVC, and hazardous streams under Environment Agency permit EPR/EP3794SH.

The company's revenue mechanics are diversified across four streams: skip and grab hire fees, gate fees from third-party tipping at the MRF, sales of recycled outputs (aggregates, topsoil, cement, screed), and managed waste contracts with enterprise customers. Blue-chip commercial and institutional references include Willmott Dixon (reported at 250+ tonnes per month), Tesco, NHS trusts, Bristol City Council, Bath and Somerset Council, the University of the West of England, and a partnership with Bristol Waste Company. Compliance credentials include ISO 14001 environmental management certification, a waste carrier licence, and the Environment Agency permit covering licensed waste streams.

Recent strategic activity has focused on regulatory-led expansion rather than geographic or M&A-based scaling: a £4M MRF investment in 2023 lifted processing capacity, an Environment Agency permit extension added UPVC and hazardous handling in 2023-2024, and a 2024 SME recycling service targets the UK government's Simpler Recycling legislation creating a new mandatory-compliance customer segment. Quality assurance is supported through a partnership with ACS Testing Ltd. Pricing and customer acquisition are predominantly direct, with online booking for skips supplementing named-account contract sales for larger commercial and public-sector clients.

Name

ETM Recycling

Legal name

ETM Recycling Ltd

Website

https://recyclingbristol.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

ETM Recycling is a family-owned Bristol-based waste management company that operates a £4M Materials Recovery Facility, skip and grab hire fleets, and managed waste contracts serving commercial, construction, local-authority, and domestic customers across the South West of England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management Services

NAICS

Waste Collection (56211), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Solid Waste Collection (562111)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Construction & Demolition (C&D) Recycling MRFs (EUAIADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Recycling & E-Waste Collection/Hauling (HSAKALAJ), Specialty Materials Recovery (Carpet, Mattresses, Bulky Items) (EUAIADAL), Concrete, Asphalt & Masonry Recycling (Crushing & Aggregate Production) (EUAIAHAD)

Keywords

• Waste management services
• Skip hire services
• Recycling services
• Materials recovery facility
• Recycled aggregates supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Skip Hire Services: Hire of skips in various sizes (4, 6, 8, 12 yard) and Roll On Roll Off skips for domestic and trade clients
2. Waste Management Services: Total waste management solutions including waste collection, disposal, and transfer services for commercial and domestic clients
3. Grab Hire: Flexible grab lorry hire for waste removal with crane-equipped vehicles
4. Tipping Services: Environmentally safe tipping facilities at their waste transfer centre
5. Road Sweeper Hire: Operated road sweeper hire available for hourly, daily, weekly terms or contract hire
6. Recycled Materials Sales: Sale of recycled building materials including aggregates (Type 1, 6F5), topsoil, sand, and crushed stone
7. Recycling Services: Processing and recycling of various waste streams including scrap metal, wood, plastic, cardboard, UPVC, and hazardous waste

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ETM Recycling provides waste collection, recycling, and disposal services from a £4 million Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Bristol. Core offerings include skip hire (4-12 yard and Roll On Roll Off), grab hire, road sweeper hire, tipping, and processing of scrap metal, wood, plastic, cardboard, UPVC and construction waste into recycled aggregates and topsoil sold to trade and domestic customers in the South West of England.

Product overview

ETM Recycling offers a comprehensive, integrated waste management and recycling service portfolio operated from a £4 million state-of-the-art Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) in Bristol. The core offering combines skip hire (standard and Roll On Roll Off), grab hire, road sweeper hire, and tipping services with extensive recycling capabilities covering scrap metal, wood, plastic, cardboard, UPVC, and SME waste streams. The company processes materials through its crushing and screening facilities to produce recycled aggregates (Type 1, 6F5, 6f2, pipe bedding, dust, sand) and screened topsoil for sale as recycled building materials. Digital reporting and waste data reporting services support compliance, while the waste transfer centre serves as the hub for material processing and recycling operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Skip Hire Hire of 4, 6, 8 and 12 yard skips for domestic and trade customers across Bristol, Bath and the South West, with next-day delivery available and council permit arrangement assistance.
• Roll On Roll Off Skip Hire Large-capacity roll-on roll-off skip hire for high-volume waste disposal requirements, typically used on construction and industrial sites.
• Grab Hire Flexible waste removal using crane-equipped grab lorries for construction, demolition and industrial sites where skip placement is impractical.
• Road Sweeper Hire

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% of all waste processed is recycled
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bristol WastecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking partnership where ETM provides skip hire, RoRo hire and tipping facilities to Bristol Waste. ETM helps divert various waste streams from landfill including plasterboard, carpet, builders waste, mixed construction, and bulky waste. Provides responsive services to HWRCs with 24-hour turnaround for bin empties.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• FCC Environment UK: National UK waste management company providing collection, recycling, landfill, and treatment services to municipal and commercial customers. Overlaps with ETM in commercial waste collection and recycling but operates at significantly greater scale and broader geographic reach.
• Biffa plc: UK's largest specialist waste management company offering collection, recycling, skip hire, MRF operations, and aggregates across the country. Comparable because it operates the full-stack waste and recycling services ETM provides, but at materially larger national scale.
• Veolia UK: UK arm of global environmental services group operating municipal and commercial waste collection, recycling, and materials recovery. Comparable on collection, recycling, and MRF activities, but as part of a much broader environmental services portfolio.
• Renewi UK: UK and European waste-to-product company with recycling and waste collection operations. Comparable through its commercial waste collection, sorting, and recycled materials outputs, though it operates across a wider portfolio of waste streams and geographies than ETM.

Emerging players

• First Mile: UK-focused commercial waste and recycling company built around digital booking, recycling reporting, and SMB customer service. Comparable on commercial waste collection, recycling, and digital reporting offerings, but primarily serves the London market with a younger, technology-led model.

Direct peers

• Hills Waste Solutions: Wiltshire-based regional waste management operator providing skip hire, recycling, aggregates, and waste collection across the South and West of England. Direct competitor with overlapping geography, similar service mix (skips, MRF, recycled aggregates), and comparable mid-market positioning to ETM.
• Enva: UK and Ireland waste recycling and resource recovery company operating collection, MRF, and recycled product outputs for commercial customers. Closely comparable mid-market positioning with similar integrated service model and customer profile to ETM.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/etm_recycling
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/etm-recycling

Compliance2 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 ETM Recycling