What Entsorgungsbetriebe Essen does

Entsorgungsbetriebe Essen GmbH (EBE) is the designated municipal waste management, recycling, and street cleaning operator for the City of Essen, Germany. The company provides residential waste collection across four waste streams (gray bin for residual waste, blue bin for paper, brown bin for biowaste, yellow bin for packaging handled in partnership with REMONDIS), bulky waste and hazardous waste collection via the Schadstoffmobil, a network of recycling centers and green waste acceptance points, plus street cleaning (3.1 million m² cleaned weekly), seasonal leaf collection, and winter service covering 1,000 km of Essen's 3,000 km road network. Customers include approximately 590,000 city residents, commercial and industrial customers using the Containerdienst, and the City of Essen itself as both the majority owner and primary contracting authority for street and winter services.

EBE is structured as a mixed public-private partnership, with the City of Essen holding 51% and REMONDIS holding 49%; the wholly-owned subsidiary ESBE handles large container logistics and waste transportation. The business model is anchored on regulated, recurring fees: residential and property waste fees (Abfallgebührensatzung der Stadt Essen), street cleaning and winter service fees (Straßenreinigungssatzung, Winterdienstverzeichnis), and commercial waste disposal charges under the Benutzungs- und Entgelteordnung 2026. Customer engagement is direct-to-consumer via a Kundenservicecenter, the EBE-App "Wir räumen ab!", an online Abfuhrkalender, the Mängelmelder defect reporter, and the electric EBE-Mobil outreach vehicle. The technology stack is operational rather than AI-driven, comprising modern sweeping machines, leaf vacuums, and AI-supported cleaning equipment, with self-hosted Matomo web analytics and OpenStreetMap integration supporting the digital ecosystem.

The company is certified annually as a Zertifizierter Entsorgungsfachbetrieb by EdDE under §56 KrWG, holds an EU Community License for cross-border transport (VO (EG) Nr. 1072/2009) and a German GüKG permit, and is GDPR-compliant with a TÜV NORD Data Protection Officer. Two Geschäftsführer (Ulrich W. Husemann and Karsten Woidtke) lead the company under the supervision of Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender Philipp Rosenau. Operating exclusively within Essen, EBE's growth path is constrained by its defined municipal service territory, with recent activity focused on service-line deepening (Recyclingstation Mitte renovation, MAEX self-service, reusable tableware rental, expanded environmental education) rather than geographic expansion.

Name

Entsorgungsbetriebe Essen

Legal name

Entsorgungsbetriebe Essen GmbH

Website

https://ebe-essen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Entsorgungsbetriebe Essen (EBE) is the municipal waste management, recycling, and street cleaning operator for the City of Essen, Germany, serving 590,000+ residents, commercial customers, and the city government through regulated collection fees, recycling centers, and seasonal services under a 51% City of Essen / 49% REMONDIS ownership structure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Essen

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Abfallgebühren (Waste Fees): Charges levied on residents and property owners for waste collection and disposal, governed by the Abfallgebührensatzung der Stadt Essen. Fees are based on minimum waste volume per person per week determined by the Abfallwirtschaftssatzung.
2. Straßenreinigungs- und Winterdienstgebühren: Fees for street cleaning and winter services charged according to the Straßenreinigungssatzung and Winterdienstverzeichnis of the city of Essen.
3. Commercial and Industrial Waste Services: Fees for commercial waste collection, container services, and disposal of mixed municipal solid waste (EWC 20 03 01) from non-household sources, governed by the Benutzungs- und Entgelteordnung.
4. Sperrmüllservice (Bulky Waste Collection): Bulky waste collection service, often free for residents, with fees potentially applicable for commercial quantities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Entsorgungsbetriebe Essen (EBE) is the municipal waste management and street cleaning utility for the city of Essen, Germany. The company operates scheduled collection of residual, paper, bio, and packaging waste; bulky waste and hazardous waste removal; recycling centers; street, green area, and winter road clearance services; and environmental education programs. Services are delivered under regulated fee structures to both private households and commercial customers.

Product overview

Entsorgungsbetriebe Essen (EBE) operates a comprehensive municipal waste management and street cleaning service for the city of Essen, Germany. The portfolio consists of physical collection services (waste bins for residual, paper, bio, and packaging waste), specialized collection services (bulky waste, hazardous waste via mobile unit, green waste), recycling infrastructure (five permanent recycling centers and numerous container sites for paper, glass, textiles), and seasonal services (leaf collection, winter road clearance). The offering is unified under a municipal utility model where EBE serves as the primary waste management provider, with Remondis handling packaging waste. A digital layer includes the 'Wir räumen ab!' mobile app, online collection calendar, defect reporting tool, and the EBE-Mobil educational outreach unit. Services for commercial customers (container rental, commercial cleaning) complement residential offerings. The company operates as a joint venture: 51% owned by the City of Essen and 49% by Remondis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Graue Tonne (Grey Bin) Residual Waste Collection Weekly residual waste collection service for households in Essen, providing non-recyclable waste pickup in bin sizes from 40L to 1,100L.
• Blaue Tonne (Blue Bin) Paper Recycling Paper and cardboard recycling collection with 4-week pickup intervals, available in 120L, 240L, and 1,100L containers.
• Braune Tonne (Brown Bin) Biowaste Collection Bi-weekly collection of organic kitchen and garden waste in 80L, 120L, 240L, and 1,100L containers.
• Schadstoffmobil (Hazardous Waste Mobile Collection) Mobile collection of household hazardous waste including paints, batteries, brake fluid, and small electronic devices. Operates Tuesday to Friday 9-13h with scheduled stops across neighborhoods.
• Sperrmüllservice (Bulky Waste Collection) Appointment-based collection of large household items such as furniture and mattresses, available to residents and commercial customers.
• Recyclinghöfe and Recyclingstationen (Recycling Centers and Stations) Network of 9 physical recycling facilities across Essen accepting construction materials, bulky waste, electrical appliances, hazardous waste, paper, glass, textiles, and green waste. Includes self-service access via MAEX app.
• Containerdienst (Container Service) Container rental and collection service for construction projects, events, and commercial customers, operated by subsidiary ESBE.
• Stadtreinigung (Street Cleaning) Scheduled cleaning of streets, squares, and green areas covering 3.1 million m² weekly, including 10,000 litter bins, 570 depot container locations, and 2,700 waste containers, with sweeping machines covering 500,000 km annually.
• Winterdienst (Winter Road Service) Winter road clearance and gritting service from November to April covering 1,000 of 3,000 km of Essen roads, with 24-hour readiness for main routes and 6am-10pm service for secondary routes.
• Laubzeit (Leaf Collection) Seasonal autumn leaf collection clearing leaves from streets, sidewalks, and public squares, including provision of leaf baskets and bags.
• EBE-App 'Wir räumen ab!' and Abfuhrkalender Mobile app (iOS/Android) and online address-based calendar for residents to view all waste collection dates, receive reminders, register/change bins, and locate recycling sites.
• Mehrweggeschirr (Reusable Tableware Rental) Rental of reusable plates, cups, and cutlery for events with delivery and collection, aimed at reducing single-use waste.
• Sonderreinigungen (Special Cleaning Services) On-request cleaning services for events, special occasions, and commercial properties.
• Altpapier, Altglas, Alttextilien (Paper, Glass, Textile Collection Network) City-wide network of collection containers for old paper, color-sorted glass, and bagged textiles, with over 350 clothing collection containers across Essen.

Quantifiable outcome

• Winter road clearance of 1,000 km out of 3,000 km city roads
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• REMONDIScoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorREMONDIS holds a 49% stake in Entsorgungsbetriebe Essen GmbH (the city of Essen holds 51%). REMONDIS is responsible for collecting yellow bin packaging waste in Essen. The partnership combines municipal oversight with private-sector logistics expertise.
• ESBE (Entsorgungs- und Servicebetrieb Essen GmbH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerESBE is a wholly-owned subsidiary of EBE. ESBE handles large container placement and waste transportation services, providing end-to-end logistics capability within the EBE group.
• Entsorgergemeinschaft der Deutschen Entsorgungswirtschaft e. V. (EdDE)minorOthersEdDE issues the annual Zertifizierter Entsorgungsfachbetrieb certification to EBE, verifying compliance with § 56 KrWG standards for waste management operations.
• TÜV Informationstechnik GmbH / TÜV NORDminorOthersTÜV NORD IT Security, Business Security & Privacy serves as EBE's external Data Protection Officer (Datenschutzbeauftragter), with contact at Am Tüv 1, 45307 Essen.
• Ministerium für Arbeit, Gesundheit und Soziales NRW (MAGS NRW)minorOthersMAGS NRW hosts the Ombudsstelle für barrierefreie Informationstechnik (Ombudsman for Accessible IT) referenced in EBE's accessibility statement, for dispute resolution regarding web accessibility.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Veolia Deutschland: German arm of global environmental services group offering municipal and commercial waste collection, street cleaning, and recycling services. Competes with EBE for commercial contracts while also serving as a broad-incumbent municipal contractor in other German cities.
• ALBA Group: Large German-headquartered recycling and waste management group with commercial collection, sorting, and recycling capabilities overlapping EBE's commercial and recycling center offerings. Operates at broader national scale than EBE.
• PreZero (Schwarz Group): Recycling and waste management division of the Schwarz Group (parent of Lidl/Kaufland), providing integrated waste collection, sorting, and recycling services. Competes with EBE in commercial and recycling segments at national scale.
• REMONDIS: One of Europe's largest private waste and recycling companies and EBE's 49% shareholder. Operates across all waste streams and geographies, providing direct commercial segment overlap with EBE's Gewerbekunden and ESBE container services, and also runs yellow bin collection in Essen.

Direct peers

• EDG Entsorgung Dortmund: Dortmund's municipal waste management GmbH, operating in the same Ruhr region as EBE with a comparable service mix of waste collection, recycling, street cleaning, and winter service. Highly relevant regional peer for benchmarking.
• Stadtreinigung Dresden: Dresden's municipal waste management and street cleaning company providing waste collection, recycling centers, hazardous waste mobile collection, and winter service under a city-mandated structure — a comparable German municipal operator of similar mid-sized scale.
• Stadtreinigung Hamburg: Hamburg's municipal waste management and street cleaning company serving ~1.9 million residents. Operates the same municipal utility model as EBE (residential fee-funded, contracted street cleaning, recycling centers), making it the closest analog in scale and service mix.
• AWB Köln (Abfallwirtschaftsbetriebe Köln): Cologne's municipal waste management operator. Performs household and commercial waste collection, recycling center operations, and street cleaning under a similar city-mandated model, offering like-for-like comparability on service portfolio and regulatory structure.
• Berliner Stadtreinigungsbetriebe (BSR): Berlin's municipal waste and street cleaning operator serving ~3.7 million residents. Provides the same core services as EBE (waste collection, recycling, street cleaning, winter service) under a public-owned GmbH structure, making it a directly comparable municipal utility peer.
• AWM München (Abfallwirtschaftsbetrieb München): Munich's municipal waste management utility serving ~1.5 million residents. Comparable municipal GmbH providing household waste collection, recycling, bulky waste, hazardous waste mobile collection, and street cleaning — a direct German municipal peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ebe-essen
• Facebookfacebook.com/ebe.essen
• Instagraminstagram.com/ebe.essen
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/entsorgungsbetriebe-essen-gmbh

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Entsorgungsbetriebe Essen