Urbaser
Urbaser is a Spain-based environmental solutions company providing integrated waste management services to municipal governments and industrial clients, operating 150 treatment plants across approximately 15 countries and serving over 60 million people through long-term contracts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersMadrid, Spain
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Urbaser does
Urbaser is a Spain-headquartered environmental solutions company founded in 1990 that provides integrated waste management and urban services to municipal governments and industrial clients across approximately 15 countries, serving more than 60 million people. Its offering is organized into three pillars: Servicios Urbanos (Urban Services) covering municipal waste collection and street cleaning under long-term contracts; Tratamiento (Treatment) operating 150 waste treatment plants that manage third-party waste streams; and Soluciones Industriales (Industrial Solutions) providing specialized collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of industrial, hazardous, clinical, pharmaceutical, electronic, and radiological waste, plus circular-economy sub-products including recycled fuels and regenerated lubricant bases.
The company's underlying technology is operational rather than digital: an integrated environmental infrastructure platform combining an ecological vehicle fleet, treatment plant network, and proprietary circular-economy processes for waste valorization. It holds authorizations and documentation capabilities required for handling regulated waste streams. Distribution is direct — long-term municipal contracts and direct industrial service agreements — with no consumer-facing software layer and no public APIs, SDKs, or AI products disclosed.
The business model is built on subscription-style and managed-services revenue: recurring municipal contracts provide the base, industrial waste management and waste treatment operations contribute managed-services revenue, and circular-economy product sales (recycled fuels, regenerated lubricant bases) generate transactional fees. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held, jointly owned since February 2026 by Blackstone Infrastructure and EQT Infrastructure VI (50/50), following their €5.6 billion ($6.6 billion) acquisition from Platinum Equity, which had owned Urbaser since 2020 and drove 60%+ revenue growth and 70% EBITDA growth alongside 20 add-on acquisitions.
Urbaser firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Urbaser
- Legal name
- Urbaser
- Website
- https://urbaser.es
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- Urbaser is a Spain-based environmental solutions company providing integrated waste management services to municipal governments and industrial clients, operating 150 treatment plants across approximately 15 countries and serving over 60 million people through long-term contracts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Urbaser industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Waste Management and Environmental Services
- NAICS
- Solid Waste Collection (562111), Waste Collection (5621), Hazardous Waste Collection (562112), Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950), Hazardous Waste Management (4955)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Commercial & Office Waste Collection (Non-hazardous) (EUAIAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hazardous Waste & Universal Waste Handling (Batteries, Lamps, Aerosols) (BPABALAE), E-waste & Universal Waste Collection/Transfer (Electronics, Lamps, Batteries) (EUAIABAG), Medical / Infectious Waste Treatment & Disposal (Autoclave + Incineration + Final Disposal) (EUAIACAJ), Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH), Waste Management & Hazardous Waste Compliance (RCRA, Universal Waste, Waste Characterization/Manifests) (EUAHABAC)
Keywords
Where Urbaser is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Madrid
- HQ country
- Spain
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Urbaser business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Municipal Waste Services: Long-term contracts with municipalities for waste collection, street cleaning, and urban hygiene services serving millions of citizens
- Industrial Waste Management: Treatment and disposal services for industrial waste including hazardous waste, clinical waste, pharmaceutical waste, and electronic waste
- Waste Treatment Operations: Operation of 150 treatment plants managing third-party waste streams
- Circular Economy Products: Production of recycled fuels and regenerated lubricant bases from waste streams
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
Urbaser product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Urbaser provides integrated environmental services across three core pillars: Urban Services (municipal waste collection and street cleaning under long-term government contracts), Treatment (operation of 150 waste treatment plants for third-party waste streams), and Industrial Solutions (collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of industrial waste including hazardous, clinical, pharmaceutical, and electronic waste). The company converts waste into resources through circular economy offerings such as recycled fuels and regenerated lubricant bases, serving municipalities and industrial clients in approximately 15 countries.
Product overview
Urbaser is a global environmental solutions company offering an integrated platform of waste management and environmental services. The core offering consists of three main pillars: Urban Services (municipal waste collection and street cleaning), Treatment (operation of 150 waste treatment plants), and Industrial Solutions (comprehensive industrial waste management). The company serves over 64 million people across approximately 15 countries through a network of more than 44,000 employees. Their Industrial Solutions division includes specialized sub-products for regenerated lubricant bases, recycled fuels, electronics waste, sanitary/healthcare waste solutions, and radiological protection services. The Urbaser Circular Solutions platform unifies these services under a circular economy framework, enabling resource valorization and sustainable waste management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Urban Services (Servicios Urbanos)
- Treatment (Tratamiento)
- Industrial Solutions (Soluciones Industriales)
- Regenerated Lubricant Bases (Bases lubricantes regeneradas)
- Recycled Fuels (Combustibles reciclados)
- Industrial Waste Collection and Transport
- Industrial Waste Treatment and Disposal
- Electronics Waste Services
- Sanitary Solutions (Soluciones Sanitarias)
- Protection Solutions (Soluciones de Protección)
- Urbaser Circular Solutions
Quantifiable outcome
- Revenue growth exceeding 60% since 2020 under Platinum Equity ownership
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Urbaser
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Urbaser technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Urbaser partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Ethiraj College for WomenminorUrbaser Sumeet's Edu Bridge Initiative partnered with Ethiraj College to facilitate free admissions for daughters of sanitation workers. 118 students identified, 95 cleared board exams, 12 MoUs signed with colleges.
- Latham & WatkinscoreLatham & Watkins provided legal advisory services to Platinum Equity on the €5.6 billion sale of Urbaser to Blackstone and EQT.
- Edu Bridge Initiative Partner CollegesminorUrbaser Sumeet's Edu Bridge Initiative has signed 12 MoUs with colleges to support education for children of sanitation workers, with 118 students identified and 95 clearing board exams.
Scale indicators10 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Urbaser competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stericycle: Stericycle is a North American leader in medical waste management, secure information destruction, and specialized waste services. It directly parallels Urbaser's sanitary/healthcare waste and radiological protection solutions.
- PreZero: PreZero is the environmental services arm of the Schwarz Group, operating waste management, recycling, and circular economy services across Europe. It is a direct peer in municipal collection and industrial waste treatment with similar sustainability positioning.
- Biffa plc: Biffa is a leading UK waste management company providing municipal and commercial collection, treatment, and recycling services. It is comparable to Urbaser's municipal services operations and competes for similar European contracts.
- Veolia Environnement: Veolia is the global leader in environmental services, including waste collection, treatment, and circular economy solutions. It directly competes with Urbaser across municipal waste contracts in Europe and Latin America and offers overlapping hazardous and industrial waste capabilities.
- SUEZ Group: SUEZ is a global waste management and water services company with significant European municipal contracts and industrial waste treatment capabilities. It competes head-to-head with Urbaser for municipal tenders and offers comparable recycling and circular economy solutions.
- Remondis: Remondis is one of Europe's largest privately held recycling and waste management companies, with municipal and industrial waste services across Germany and internationally. It competes with Urbaser for European municipal contracts and operates comparable treatment infrastructure.
- Clean Harbors: Clean Harbors is the largest provider of environmental and industrial waste services in North America, specializing in hazardous waste collection, treatment, and disposal. It is a direct peer for Urbaser's industrial solutions and hazardous waste management operations.
- FCC Environment (Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas): FCC is a major Spanish infrastructure and environmental services group, with FCC Servicios Medioambientales providing municipal waste collection, street cleaning, and treatment across Spain, Iberia, and internationally — directly overlapping Urbaser's core market and offerings.
- Renewi: Renewi is a European waste-to-product company operating across the Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK, providing municipal waste collection and industrial waste treatment. It is a comparable regional peer with circular economy positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Waste Management, Inc. Waste Management Inc. is the largest waste management company in North America, offering collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal services. While primarily North American and much larger, it serves as a broad incumbent comparable in scale, business model, and end-market dynamics.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Urbaser social profiles
Digital presenceUrbaser financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Urbaser leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Urbaser subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Urbaser funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Urbaser M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Urbaser
What does Urbaser do?
Urbaser provides integrated environmental services across three core pillars: Urban Services (municipal waste collection and street cleaning under long-term government contracts), Treatment (operation of 150 waste treatment plants for third-party waste streams), and Industrial Solutions (collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of industrial waste including hazardous, clinical, pharmaceutical, and electronic waste). The company converts waste into resources through circular economy offerings such as recycled fuels and regenerated lubricant bases, serving municipalities and industrial clients in approximately 15 countries.
Is Urbaser a public or private company?
Urbaser is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Urbaser founded?
Urbaser was founded in 1990. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is Urbaser based?
Urbaser is headquartered in Madrid, Spain, in the Europe region.
How does Urbaser make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Municipal Waste Services are the primary driver. The others are industrial Waste Management, waste Treatment Operations and circular Economy Products.
Who are Urbaser's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stericycle, PreZero, Biffa plc, Veolia Environnement, SUEZ Group, Remondis, Clean Harbors, FCC Environment (Fomento de Construcciones y Contratas) and Renewi. Waste Management, Inc. is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Urbaser have an API?
No public API is recorded for Urbaser.
What industry is Urbaser in?
Urbaser's product category is Waste Management and Environmental Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAIAGAA, Commercial & Office Waste Collection (Non-hazardous), with a secondary code of BPABALAE, Hazardous Waste & Universal Waste Handling (Batteries, Lamps, Aerosols). Its NAICS code is 562111 and its SIC code is 4953.