AGR Group

What AGR Group does

AGR Group (AGR Abfallentsorgungs-Gesellschaft Ruhrgebiet mbH) is a German municipal waste management and circular-economy company headquartered in Herten, North Rhine-Westphalia, founded in 1982 and wholly owned by the Regionalverband Ruhr (RVR), a regional government authority. The company operates across five business fields — Kreislaufwirtschaft und Logistik (circular economy and logistics), Thermische Behandlung (thermal treatment), Deponiemanagement (landfill management), Umweltdienstleistungen (environmental services), and Sekundärerzeugnisse (secondary products) — and handles more than 1.8 million tons of waste annually. Core infrastructure centers on the RZR Herten waste-to-energy plant, which comprises four combustion lines for commercial and municipal waste plus two for special/hazardous waste, and produces electricity for approximately 50,000 households, district heating for approximately 25,000 households, and green hydrogen for approximately 115 truck refuelings per day. Supporting assets include the Zentraldeponie Emscherbruch (ZDE) and other landfills, sorting facilities in Herten and Hattingen, a chemical-physical treatment plant for liquid wastes, landfill gas recovery systems, photovoltaic installations, and 200 hectares of company-owned forest.

The business model is transaction-fee based across four primary revenue streams: waste disposal and treatment services for municipal, commercial, and hazardous wastes; energy sales (electricity, process steam, district heating, hydrogen) under long-term contracts with Hertener Energiehandelsgesellschaft, STEAG Fernwärme, and Uniper Wärme; sale of secondary raw materials (scrap, paper, plastics, wood); and container and logistics services through subsidiary AGR-DAR and the agrdar-container.de online shop. Go-to-market is a hybrid enterprise/direct channel: B2B and municipal sales are handled by field sales representatives ([email protected], +49 2366 300-666) delivering customized disposal concepts, while small commercial customers and private individuals access services via an online container shop, physical Wertstoffhöfe (recycling centers), and download forms for small deliveries. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Operations are concentrated entirely within the Ruhr region across at least eight sites, with approximately 950 employees organized through wholly owned subsidiaries including AGR-DAR (containers/logistics), AGR-KAKO (liquid hazardous waste), AGR Betriebsführung GmbH (plant operation), LAMBDA (energy supply), AGR-RZR Herten, and EKOCity.

Name

AGR Group

Legal name

AGR Abfallentsorgungs-Gesellschaft Ruhrgebiet mbH

Website

https://agr.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

AGR Group is a publicly-owned German waste management and circular-economy company headquartered in Herten, North Rhine-Westphalia, wholly owned by Regionalverband Ruhr. It manages over 1.8 million tons of waste annually through thermal treatment, landfills, sorting, recycling, and energy recovery, serving municipalities, commercial enterprises, and private customers across the Ruhr region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management Services

NAICS

Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622), Waste Collection (56211), Solid Waste Collection (562111), Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Subtitle: Waste Treatment & Disposal — Sub-industries (L4) (EUAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial Waste-to-Energy (Non-Hazardous Process Wastes) (EUACAIAI), Landfill Gas (LFG) Capture, Flaring & Energy Utilization (LFG-to-Electricity/RNG) (EUAIACAL), Municipal Solid Waste Collection (Residential/Commercial) (IMAIAFAA)

Keywords

• Waste management
• Waste disposal services
• Waste-to-energy
• Recycling services
• Landfill operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Herten

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Waste Disposal and Treatment Services: Core revenue from disposal and treatment of municipal, commercial, and special wastes. The company handles over 1.8 million tons of waste per year through recycling, thermal recovery, and landfill disposal.
2. Energy Sales: Revenue from sale of electricity, process steam, district heating, and hydrogen produced from waste treatment operations. The RZR Herten plant generates electricity for ~50,000 households and district heating for ~25,000 households.
3. Secondary Products and Recyclables: Revenue from marketing of secondary raw materials including scrap metal, paper, plastics, wood, and other recyclables recovered from waste processing.
4. Container and Logistics Services: Revenue from container provision and logistics services through subsidiary AGR-DAR, including container rental, collection, and transport services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

AGR Group is a German waste management and disposal company that provides waste treatment, landfill operation, recycling, and waste-to-energy services. It operates the RZR Herten mechanical-biological treatment plant and multiple landfills, processing residual and commercial waste from municipalities and businesses, while generating electricity, district heating, and hydrogen. It also sells secondary products (recyclables, substitute fuels, soil materials) and serves private individuals through its AGR Container Shop.

Product overview

AGR Group operates as an environmental services and waste management company with five core business fields organized as a unified service portfolio. The company offers Kreislaufwirtschaft und Logistik (circular economy and logistics), Thermische Behandlung (thermal treatment), Deponiemanagement (landfill management), Umweltdienstleistungen (environmental services), and Sekundärerzeugnisse (secondary products). Key facilities include the RZR Herten waste-to-energy plant operated by AGR Betriebsführung GmbH, which produces electricity, district heating, and hydrogen. The group includes subsidiaries AGR-DAR (container/logistics), AGR-KAKO (liquid waste), and facilities like the Zentraldeponie Emscherbruch. Services span from waste collection and sorting through thermal recovery and recycling to landfill operations, serving municipalities, businesses, and private customers in the Ruhr region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Waste Disposal and Treatment

Quantifiable outcome

• 400,000 tons CO2 equivalents saved annually through thermal treatment, landfill gas recovery, and material marketing
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• RVR (Regionalverband Ruhr) - WaldflächenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 September 2023AGR supported multi-year afforestation of RVR forest areas in Hohe Mark, completing the project in April 2024.
• Hertener EnergiehandelsgesellschaftcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2016Partner in long-term contracts for district heating delivery from RZR Herten waste-to-energy plant into the Fernwärmeschiene Ruhr (Ruhr district heating grid). Part of consortium including STEAG Fernwärme and Uniper Wärme.
• STEAG FernwärmecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2016Part of consortium for long-term district heating delivery contracts. STEAG is a key partner in delivering waste-to-energy heat through the regional district heating network.
• Uniper WärmecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 December 2016Part of consortium for long-term district heating delivery from RZR Herten into the Ruhr district heating network.
• Linde EngineeringcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAGR and Linde Engineering are collaborating on a forward-looking project for green hydrogen production. Linde is providing expertise in hydrogen technology for AGR's waste-to-energy plant at RZR Herten, where green hydrogen is being produced for use as fuel for trucks and vehicles.
• Hertener StadtwerkecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership for electricity distribution (supplying climate-friendly electricity from waste to about 65,000 households) and joint community events including Hertener Sommerkino. Also co-funds charitable projects.
• Regionalverband Ruhr (RVR)coreOthersAGR is owned by the Regionalverband Ruhr (RVR), a regional authority. AGR operates as a municipally-oriented mid-sized company under this public ownership structure, providing essential public services (Daseinsvorsorge) in waste management.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• FCC Environment CEE: European waste management and environmental services provider operating landfills, incinerators, and recycling facilities. Comparable in waste treatment, disposal, and circular economy services, though stronger in CEE rather than Germany.
• Veolia Environment: Global environmental services giant with municipal waste collection, treatment, recovery, and energy-from-waste operations across Europe. Comparable in waste-to-energy and municipal contracts, but operates at much larger scale and broader geographic scope.
• Suez Group: Global water and waste management services company with significant European waste processing and recycling infrastructure. Comparable in integrated waste management and circular economy offerings but at broader scale.

Direct peers

• Prezero: Waste management and recycling arm of the Schwarz Group (Lidl/Kaufland parent), operating waste-to-energy, sorting, and recycling facilities across Germany and Europe. Directly comparable in integrated waste-to-energy and recycling services.
• ALBA Group: German-headquartered waste management and raw materials provider with collection, sorting, recycling, and secondary materials marketing. Directly comparable in circular economy and downstream materials marketing.
• Remondis: Germany's largest private waste management company, offering collection, recycling, thermal treatment, and hazardous waste services across Germany and Europe. Directly comparable in service portfolio and customer mix (municipal, commercial, industrial).
• Martin Group (Hugo Martin): German waste management and environmental services company with collection, recycling, and treatment operations. Comparable as a mid-sized German player in municipal and commercial waste streams.
• EEW Energy from Waste: One of Europe's largest operators of waste-to-energy plants, headquartered in Germany. Closely comparable in thermal treatment of municipal and commercial waste, district heating, and energy-from-waste operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agr-kako-gmbh

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries6 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 AGR Group