Urbaser

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.

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

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

• Waste management services
• Municipal waste collection
• Industrial waste treatment
• Circular economy solutions
• Street cleaning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Municipal Waste Services: Long-term contracts with municipalities for waste collection, street cleaning, and urban hygiene services serving millions of citizens
2. Industrial Waste Management: Treatment and disposal services for industrial waste including hazardous waste, clinical waste, pharmaceutical waste, and electronic waste
3. Waste Treatment Operations: Operation of 150 treatment plants managing third-party waste streams
4. 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

Core 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

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Ethiraj College for WomenminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 May 2026Urbaser 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 & WatkinscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 12 February 2026Latham & Watkins provided legal advisory services to Platinum Equity on the €5.6 billion sale of Urbaser to Blackstone and EQT.
• Edu Bridge Initiative Partner CollegesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Urbaser 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/urbaser_
• Facebookfacebook.com/urbaser
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/urbaser-s-a-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A2 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Urbaser