U-Pak

Waste Management Servicesupak.net

U-Pak is a family-owned Canadian commercial waste management and recycling company, founded in 1972 in Etobicoke, Ontario, serving industrial bakeries, hospitality, grocery, manufacturing, and other commercial verticals across the GTA, Ontario, and nationally via partner networks.

Company typePrivate
Founded1972
HeadquartersEtobicoke, Canada
Headcount101–250
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What U-Pak does

U-Pak Disposals Ltd. is a privately held, family-owned commercial waste management and recycling services company headquartered in Etobicoke, Ontario, operating since 1972. The company collects and processes approximately 400 metric tonnes of waste per day across the Greater Toronto Area and broader Ontario, with a National Accounts program extending service coast-to-coast across Canada through partnered regional haulers. U-Pak serves eight primary verticals: industrial bakeries and mills, entertainment complexes, hotels and hospitality, groceries and supermarkets, manufacturing facilities, distribution centres, property management, and schools and universities.

The company's operational footprint includes 27 acres of facilities (15 acres in Etobicoke plus 12 acres in Pickering) and a fleet of 200+ vehicles. Through its subsidiary Emerald Energy From Waste, U-Pak operates a thermal treatment facility using a two-stage combustion process to convert bakery and organic waste into electricity, with 9 MW of generation capacity. The company also reclaims 100,000+ tonnes of grain by-products annually through subsidiary Kerry Cavan Feeds and recycles 150,000 tonnes of paper per year. Additional subsidiaries include Traxxside Transloading Inc. and MCC Industrial Services Ltd. The company manufactures its own bins in-house and rents or sells waste equipment (bins, compactors, roll-offs).

U-Pak generates revenue through five mechanisms: recurring subscription contracts for commercial waste removal; transaction-based fees for waste disposal and product destruction; professional services for waste audits and consulting; hardware sales and rental of waste equipment; and managed services for national account customers. Pricing includes a 20% environmental surcharge and an index-based fuel surcharge on top of quote-based service fees. The integrated vertical model — hauling plus in-house bin manufacturing plus EfW energy recovery plus grain by-product reclamation — positions U-Pak as a closed-loop provider for organic and bakery waste streams that few competitors can match at scale.

U-Pak firmographics

Firmographics

Name: U-Pak
Legal name: U-Pak Disposals Ltd.
Website: https://upak.net
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1972
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 101–250 employees
Short description: U-Pak is a family-owned Canadian commercial waste management and recycling company, founded in 1972 in Etobicoke, Ontario, serving industrial bakeries, hospitality, grocery, manufacturing, and other commercial verticals across the GTA, Ontario, and nationally via partner networks.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

U-Pak industry classification

Industry

Product category: Waste Management Services
NAICS: Solid Waste Collection (562111), Waste Collection (5621), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622)
SIC: Refuse Systems (4953)
akta.pro primary industry: Commercial & Office Waste Collection (Non-hazardous) (EUAIAGAA)
akta.pro secondary industries: Industrial Packaging Waste Services (Pallets, Cardboard, Film, IBCs/Drums—Non-hazardous) (EUAIAGAD), Secure/Special Waste Disposal (Industrial, Contaminated Soils, Low-Level Radioactive/NORM) (BPALACAG)

Keywords

Commercial waste removal
Waste collection services
Recycling services
Waste-to-energy
Roll-off container rental

Where U-Pak is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Etobicoke
HQ country: Canada
HQ region: North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

U-Pak business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

Commercial Waste Removal and Collection: Scheduled waste collection services for businesses including garbage, recycling, and organics pickup using front-end and roll-off container systems. Services include single-point contact for multi-location businesses.
Waste Disposal Services: Proper waste management disposal services handling various types of commercial waste from general refuse to recyclables and organic materials
Bakery and Organic Recycling: Organic waste diversion programs converting food waste into compost or livestock feed through the Kerry Cavan Feeds facility in Wallenstein, Ontario
Product Destruction Services: Secure destruction of recalled, expired, or non-conforming products with Certificate of Destruction provided; materials processed at Emerald Energy from Waste facility
Waste Audits and Consulting: Compliance audits for establishments over 90,000 sq ft per Ontario regulations, waste reduction workplans, and sustainability consulting services
Equipment Rental and Sales: Commercial compactors, balers, front-end containers, and roll-off bins manufactured in-house; includes remote monitoring technology
National Account Management: Multi-location account management offering consistent waste programs across all sites with centralized billing and single point of contact

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Other	Monthly	Environmental Surcharge
Usage-based	Monthly	Fuel Surcharge

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

U-Pak product offering

Product offering

Core offering

U-Pak is a commercial waste management and recycling company that provides waste collection, disposal, recycling (including bakery/organic streams), product destruction, and waste audit services to businesses across Canada. It complements these services with rental of waste-handling equipment (front-end containers, roll-off containers, and compactors) and operates the Emerald Energy from Waste facility for waste-to-energy processing.

Product overview

U-Pak Disposals operates as a waste management and recycling services company offering a coordinated suite of container-based collection equipment, operational services, and specialized diversion programs. The core equipment portfolio includes Front-End Container Systems (2-8 yard capacities), Roll-Off Container Systems (14-40 yard capacities), and Commercial Waste Compactors manufactured in-house at their Canadian facilities. Operational services encompass Commercial Waste Removal, Disposal, and Collection, complemented by specialized programs including Bakery and Organic Recycling (processed at the Kerry Cavan Feeds facility in Wallenstein, Ontario), Product Destruction Services, Waste Audits with LEED-accredited consulting, and National Accounts management for multi-location businesses. The flagship differentiator is the Emerald Energy from Waste facility in Brampton, Ontario, which converts non-recyclable waste into up to 9 megawatts of electricity and steam energy for industrial partners. The company operates transfer facilities in Etobicoke (15 acres) and Pickering (12 acres), processing approximately 400 metric tonnes of waste material daily.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

Commercial Waste Removal & Disposal Scheduled and on-demand waste collection and disposal services for commercial and industrial customers across Canada.
Bakery / Organic Recycling Specialty recycling service for bakery, food, and other organic waste streams, diverting organics from landfill for commercial customers.
Product Destruction Secure destruction service for confidential, expired, or branded products, providing certified disposal for manufacturers, retailers, and other commercial clients.
Waste Audits On-site waste audit and consulting service that analyzes a customer's waste streams to identify recycling, diversion, and cost-reduction opportunities.
National Accounts Program Standardized multi-site waste and recycling service program for commercial customers operating across multiple Canadian locations, delivered through a single contracted relationship.
Front-End Container Rental Rental of front-end load containers sized for commercial waste collection at customer sites.
Roll-Off Container Rental Rental of roll-off containers for larger-volume commercial and industrial waste collection projects.
Compactor Rental

Quantifiable outcome

100,000+ tonnes of grain by-products reclaimed annually for livestock feed
+4 more outcomes

Companies that use U-Pak

Customer profile

Named customers2 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

U-Pak technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

U-Pak partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

Emerald Energy from WastecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPrivately owned business providing energy recovery services for materials that cannot be recycled; U-Pak Group affiliate operating over 30 years with facility converting solid non-hazardous waste to electricity and steam for local paper mill
Traxxside Transloading Inc.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecializes in transloading of agricultural products, food grade products, organic products, fertilizer, and industrial products; strategically located in Guelph, Ontario with daily independent rail service from CN and CP railways
Kerry Cavan Feeds Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeed manufacturing company based in Wallenstein, Ontario that converts food and bakery waste into farm feed; processes over 100,000 tonnes of grain by-products annually from U-Pak's bakery and organic recycling programs
MCC Industrial Services Ltd.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCustom environmental management programs, waste reduction, cost recovery and recycling solutions provider
Partners in Project GreenminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental organization focused on sustainability; U-Pak is a proud member engaging in climate change mitigation and adaptation initiatives
Food and Beverage OntariominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry association representing food and beverage sector; U-Pak is a proud member serving bakery and food processing industry clients
BOMA (Building Owners and Managers Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommercial real estate industry association; U-Pak participates to address climate change issues and explore sustainability solutions
ONEIA (Ontario Environment Industry Association)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironment industry association; U-Pak engages with organization focused on business, culture, environment, and social initiatives
CPI (Climate Prosperity Initiative)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSustainability organization; U-Pak engages with to explore and address climate change issues

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

U-Pak competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

GFL Environmental Services: GFL Environmental is Canada's largest diversified environmental services company, offering solid waste hauling, recycling, and organics across multiple provinces — directly competing with U-Pak in the GTA commercial and industrial collection market.
Waste Connections: Waste Connections operates one of North America's largest waste collection networks including significant Ontario footprint through Progressive Waste; competes head-to-head with U-Pak on commercial hauling and recycling contracts.
Reworld (formerly Covanta): Reworld operates one of the largest Energy-from-Waste facility networks in North America and competes with U-Pak's Emerald EfW facility in the waste-to-energy segment, particularly for non-recyclable industrial and commercial waste streams.
Miller Waste Systems: Miller Waste Systems is an Ontario-based regional waste hauler serving the GTA and surrounding regions with commercial, industrial, and residential collection; most comparable regional competitor to U-Pak by geography and customer mix.

Broad incumbents

Veolia Environnement: Veolia operates globally in waste management including hazardous waste, EfW, and industrial services; comparable to U-Pak's vertically integrated model especially for enterprise customers with complex waste streams.
Casella Waste Systems: Casella Waste Systems is a vertically integrated solid waste, recycling, and resource management company in the northeastern U.S., comparable to U-Pak in serving commercial and industrial customers with recycling and organics programs.
Waste Management Inc. WM is the largest waste services provider in North America with integrated hauling, transfer, landfill, recycling, and EfW assets; competes broadly with U-Pak in commercial collection and offers the national-scale alternative for multi-location customers.
Republic Services: Republic Services is a major U.S.-headquartered environmental services company with significant Canadian operations through its previous acquisition of Cantel; competes with U-Pak on commercial and industrial collection contracts nationally.

Emerging players

Stericycle: Stericycle specializes in regulated waste management including secure product destruction — directly comparable to U-Pak's Product Destruction Services business that issues Certificates of Destruction for recalled and off-spec goods.

Others

Ceiba Renewables / Greenlane Renewables: Greenlane provides biogas upgrading systems used in organic waste-to-energy applications such as anaerobic digestion — adjacent ecosystem participant relevant to U-Pak's bakery and organic recycling program at Kerry Cavan Feeds.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses3 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

U-Pak financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

U-Pak leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

U-Pak subsidiaries and ownership

Company hierarchy

Subsidiaries4 records

U-Pak funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

U-Pak M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about U-Pak

What does U-Pak do?

Is U-Pak a public or private company?

U-Pak is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.

When was U-Pak founded?

U-Pak was founded in 1972. It employs 101 to 250 people.

Where is U-Pak based?

U-Pak is headquartered in Etobicoke, Canada, in the North America region.

How does U-Pak make money?

Seven revenue lines are on record. Commercial Waste Removal and Collection is the primary driver. The others are waste Disposal Services, bakery and Organic Recycling, product Destruction Services, waste Audits and Consulting, equipment Rental and Sales and national Account Management.

Who are U-Pak's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are GFL Environmental Services, Waste Connections, Reworld (formerly Covanta) and Miller Waste Systems. Broad incumbents are Veolia Environnement, Casella Waste Systems, Waste Management Inc. and Republic Services. Stericycle is listed as an emerging player. Ceiba Renewables / Greenlane Renewables is listed as an others.

Does U-Pak have an API?

No public API is recorded for U-Pak.

What industry is U-Pak in?

U-Pak's product category is Waste Management Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAIAGAA, Commercial & Office Waste Collection (Non-hazardous), with a secondary code of EUAIAGAD, Industrial Packaging Waste Services (Pallets, Cardboard, Film, IBCs/Drums—Non-hazardous). Its NAICS code is 562111 and its SIC code is 4953.