What Ubico does

Ubico Ltd is a UK environmental services company operating as a Teckal company (a public-procurement vehicle wholly-owned by local authorities) under eight shareholder councils across Gloucestershire and West Oxfordshire: Cotswold, Cheltenham, Forest of Dean, Tewkesbury, Gloucester City, Gloucestershire County, Stroud and West Oxfordshire. The company delivers an integrated portfolio of seven core services — household waste collection, recycling collections, organic waste collection, street cleansing, grounds maintenance, recycling centre management, and fleet management and maintenance — to over 369,297 properties across 1,200+ square miles, supported by six depots, approximately 1,000 staff and around 1,300 vehicles and plant, handling 32 million+ collections annually at 99.9%+ accuracy.

The underlying technology stack is operational rather than productised: telematics-based Safe Driving Assistant (SDA) systems, 360-degree in-cab CCTV, AI-assisted manoeuvre and reversing technology (in trial), and a Carbon Usage Dashboard provide data inputs for driver coaching, safety incident reduction and emissions tracking. Fleet composition stands at 46% HVO and 6% electric/hybrid as of 2025, with an all-electric refuse collection vehicle trial underway. Certifications include ISO 14001 (since 2017) and ISO 45001 (since 2019), alongside CHAS, Alcumus SafeContractor and CIWM affiliation.

Ubico's revenue model is managed-services contracting under the Teckal framework, with each of the eight shareholder councils acting simultaneously as customer and owner. Pricing is contract-based and not publicly disclosed. The go-to-market is direct, with no traditional sales channels or external distribution — service expansion occurs through deepening the service portfolio at existing shareholder councils (as with Gloucester City in 2023 and Forest of Dean in August 2024) or by adding new shareholder councils. Customers outside the shareholder base (town/parish councils, schools, private companies, commercial waste customers in Cheltenham and West Oxfordshire) represent a secondary, smaller revenue stream. As a local-authority-owned entity, Ubico is not venture-backed and does not publish audited revenue.

Name

Ubico

Legal name

Ubico Ltd

Website

https://ubico.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Ubico is a UK Teckal company wholly-owned by eight local authority shareholders, delivering integrated environmental services — waste collection, recycling, street cleansing, grounds maintenance, recycling-centre management and fleet maintenance — to over 369,000 properties across Gloucestershire and West Oxfordshire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Services

NAICS

Waste Collection (56211), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

E-waste & Universal Waste Collection/Transfer (Electronics, Lamps, Batteries) (EUAIABAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Recycling, E-Waste & End-of-Life Takeback Programs (TLAAALAN)

Keywords

• Waste collection services
• Recycling collections
• Street cleansing
• Grounds maintenance
• Household recycling centres

Headquarters

HQ city

Cheltenham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Local Authority Service Contracts: Ubico operates as a Teckal company (wholly-owned by local authorities) providing environmental services under contract to its eight shareholder councils including waste/recycling collections, street cleansing, grounds maintenance, recycling centre management, and fleet maintenance.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Ubico is a Teckal company wholly-owned by eight local authority shareholders that delivers environmental services including household and commercial waste collection, recycling and organic waste collections, street cleansing, grounds maintenance, household recycling centre management, and fleet management and maintenance. Services are delivered directly to 369,297+ properties across more than 1,200 square miles in Gloucestershire and West Oxfordshire using approximately 1,000 staff and 1,300 vehicles and plant.

Product overview

Ubico is a local authority-owned environmental services company offering a unified portfolio of environmental services rather than a modular platform. The company provides seven integrated core service offerings: Household Waste Collection, Recycling Collections, Organic Waste Collections, Street Cleansing, Grounds Maintenance, Recycling Centre Management, and Fleet Management and Maintenance. These services are delivered to eight local authority shareholders (Cotswold District Council, Cheltenham Borough Council, Forest of Dean District Council, Tewkesbury Borough Council, Gloucester City Council, Gloucestershire County Council, Stroud District Council, and West Oxfordshire District Council) covering over 1,200 square miles. Ubico operates approximately 1,000 staff and a fleet of around 1,300 vehicles and equipment to serve over 369,000 properties. The company has experienced significant growth, expanding services for Gloucester City Council and Forest of Dean District Council in recent years, and mobilised waste, recycling, and street cleansing services for Forest of Dean in August 2024.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Household Waste Collection Collection of household waste on behalf of local authorities including Cheltenham Borough, Cotswold District, Gloucester City, Stroud District, Tewkesbury Borough, Forest of Dean District, and West Oxfordshire District councils. Includes commercial waste collection in Cheltenham Borough and West Oxfordshire District council areas.
• Recycling Collections Collection of recycling materials on behalf of Cheltenham Borough, Cotswold District, Stroud District, Tewkesbury Borough, Forest of Dean District, West Oxfordshire District, and Gloucester City councils, supporting household recycling streams and sustainability targets.
• Organic Waste Collections Collection of organic food and garden waste on behalf of all eight shareholder councils including Cheltenham Borough, Cotswold District, Stroud District, Tewkesbury Borough, West Oxfordshire District, Forest of Dean District, and Gloucester City councils.
• Street Cleansing Large street cleansing operation covering approximately 1,200 square miles across Cheltenham Borough, Cotswold District, Stroud District, Tewkesbury Borough, West Oxfordshire District, Forest of Dean District, and Gloucester City boundaries. Includes litter picking, street/pavement sweeping, leaf removal, graffiti removal, jet washing, and street furniture installation and maintenance.
• Grounds Maintenance Cemetery and grounds maintenance services across Gloucestershire and West Oxfordshire for shareholder councils, Town and Parish councils, schools, and private companies. Includes grass cutting, planting, flower bed maintenance, weed control, ditch clearance, hedge cutting, tree maintenance, sports pitch marking, grave digging, and cemetery maintenance.
• Recycling Centre Management Management of five Household Recycling Centres (HRCs) on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council, one HRC for Cheltenham Borough Council, and smaller bring bank sites throughout Gloucestershire and West Oxfordshire. Responsible for day-to-day operations including site maintenance, litter/fly tipping clearance, and recyclate transportation.
• Fleet Management and Maintenance Fleet management specialists operating workshops at Cheltenham, Cotswold, Stroud, Forest of Dean, and Gloucester City depots. Maintains approximately 900-1,300 vehicles and equipment ranging from hand-held strimmers to 32-tonne Refuse Collection Vehicles, with staff trained in petrol, diesel, and electric vehicles and state-of-the-art diagnostic equipment.

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.9%+ collection accuracy with over 28 million visits in 2024/25
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and supporting.

• BiffaminorOthers · 5 August 2024Biffa collaborated with Ubico during the transition of waste, recycling and street cleansing services from Biffa to Ubico for Forest of Dean District Council. Biffa assisted with staff consultations, inductions and training for smooth transition.
• Coleford Welcomes Walkers (CWW)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2024Ubico supported CWW's 'Safer Walking' project to improve walkways and make it safer for women and girls. Ubico Forest of Dean team helped install fencing and defensive planting along a cycle track entrance.
• IT Schools AfricaminorOthers · 6 March 2023Ubico donated unwanted working IT equipment to IT Schools Africa, a local Cheltenham charity. The charity refurbishes and upgrades equipment for schools in Africa and supports local community organisations including No Child Left Behind initiative.
• Publica GroupcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPublica Group provides shared services to Ubico including HR functions (through Publica Ltd), payroll processing, and insurance services. Publica is part of the same local authority services group.
• Various Colleges and Training ProviderssupportingOthersUbico partners with several colleges for apprenticeship training and professional development programs, including courses for vehicle technicians, business administration, leadership and management, and education qualifications.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Bristol Waste Company: Local-authority-owned Teckal-style company providing waste, recycling, street cleansing, and grounds maintenance to Bristol City Council. Structurally the closest peer to Ubico, with the same shareholder-owned, in-house delivery model and an overlapping service portfolio.
• Biffa plc: UK's largest publicly listed waste management company; directly competes for local authority kerbside contracts and was actively transitioning services with Ubico during the Forest of Dean onboarding. Operates across collections, recycling, and treatment with a comparable service portfolio.
• Yorwaste: Local-authority-owned waste services company delivering kerbside collections, recycling, and street cleansing primarily for Leeds City Council. Structurally aligned with Ubico as a Teckal-equivalent operator providing the same multi-service municipal offering under council ownership.
• Cory Group: Privately owned UK waste management company focusing on municipal and commercial waste collection, recycling, and treatment. A direct peer in waste/recycling services with comparable fleet operations and customer profile.

Broad incumbents

• Veolia UK & Ireland: UK arm of a global environmental services group; competes for municipal waste and recycling contracts with a much broader portfolio (water, energy, industrial services). An incumbent bidder against whom Ubico's Teckal status provides a structural advantage.
• Amey plc: UK public services provider covering waste, highways, and facilities management for local authorities. Secures major council contracts including Birmingham's waste services, making it a broad incumbent competing for shared-service mandates with Ubico's offering.
• FCC Environment UK: UK subsidiary of the Spanish FCC group, providing municipal waste collection, recycling, and treatment services to local authorities. Operates as a private-sector incumbent with overlapping services in kerbside collection and recycling centre management.
• SUEZ Recycling and Recovery UK: UK arm of the global SUEZ group providing municipal waste collection, recycling, and treatment services. A broad-incumbent competitor for local authority contracts with deep operational capability and capital backing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Ubico