SORPA

What SORPA does

SORPA bs. is a municipal association (byggðasamlag) established in 1991 and wholly owned by six municipalities in the greater Reykjavík capital region of Iceland — Reykjavík (55.5%), Kópavogur (16.0%), Hafnarfjörður (12.9%), Garðabær (8.3%), Mosfellsbær (5.5%), and Seltjarnarnes (1.8%). It holds statutory operational responsibility for waste management across this geography, operating a vertically integrated infrastructure that includes a reception and sorting station at Gufunes, six recycling stations, approximately 90 neighborhood collection points (grenndarstöðvar), the GAJA gas-and-composting facility, the Álfsnes landfill site, and the Góði hirðirinn secondhand marketplace. In 2025 SORPA handled approximately 164,000 tonnes of waste, achieved an 82% recycling/reuse rate at its recycling stations, produced 658,788 Nm3 of biogas and 2,323 tonnes of compost at GAJA, and exported 45,970 tonnes of mixed waste to Sweden for energy recovery after ceasing mixed-waste landfilling in 2023.

Revenue flows from four core streams: (1) pay-as-you-go waste reception and processing fees charged to households and businesses, priced by volume (0.25 m3 unit) at recycling stations and by weight at the Gufunes commercial station with surcharges for Sundays and black bags; (2) sale of sorted recyclable materials (metals, plastics, paper) to domestic and international buyers; (3) sale of Swan-ecolabel certified methane fuel produced by subsidiary Metan ehf., which was separated from SORPA effective January 1, 2025 to consolidate gas purification and fuel sales; and (4) revenue from the Góði hirðirinn secondhand marketplace, which sold 1,142,763 items in 2025 with proceeds supporting charitable causes. The company also provides an online customer service portal (minar.sorpa.is) and supports electronic invoicing for business customers.

Operationally SORPA relies on ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) systems at recycling stations for vehicle and load monitoring, and holds multiple certifications: ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ISO 27001, ÍST 85 equal pay, ATEX, and the Nordic Swan ecolabel for methane. The company's leadership, headed by CEO Jón Viggó Gunnarsson, includes functional heads for environmental management, technology and development, IT, HR, and operations across each facility. Recent strategic moves include construction of a new flagship Lambhagavegur recycling station (operational 2026) and participation in a preparatory company for high-tech combustion energy recovery in Iceland, signaling an intention to localize waste-to-energy capacity that currently requires export to Sweden.

Name

SORPA

Legal name

SORPA bs.

Website

https://sorpa.is

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SORPA bs. is a municipally owned waste management association serving six municipalities in Iceland's greater Reykjavík region. It operates an integrated network of six recycling stations, a sorting facility, a biogas and composting plant, and a landfill to process around 164,000 tonnes of waste annually for households, businesses, and public-sector clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Landfill (562212), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622), Solid Waste Collection (562111), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950), Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Subtitle: Waste Treatment & Disposal — Sub-industries (L4) (EUAIACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Composting Facility Operations (Windrow, ASP, In-Vessel) (BPALAEAB), Industrial Symbiosis & Byproduct Exchange Platforms (EUAIANAG), Industrial & Commercial Waste Collection (Roll-off/Front-load) (IMAIAFAB)

Keywords

• Waste management services
• Recycling stations
• Biogas production
• Composting services
• Reuse marketplace

Headquarters

HQ city

Reykjavík

HQ country

Iceland

HQ region

Europe

Offices8 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Waste Collection and Processing Fees: Fees charged for waste reception and processing based on volume and weight. Residential and business customers pay fees for waste disposal services.
2. Sale of Recycled Materials: Sale of sorted and processed recyclable materials to domestic and international buyers. Metals, plastics, paper, and other materials are exported for recycling.
3. Góði hirðirinn Secondhand Store Revenue: Revenue from the Góði hirðirinn thrift market operating as a reuse marketplace, selling secondhand items to consumers. Proceeds support charitable causes.
4. Methane Gas for Energy Production: Metan ehf. produces and sells methane gas as a fuel product certified with the Nordic Swan ecolabel, used by vehicle operators as an environmentally friendly fuel alternative.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SORPA bs. is a municipal waste management association that receives, sorts, recycles, composts, and processes waste for six municipalities in the greater Reykjavík area. It operates a network of six recycling stations, approximately 90 neighborhood container stations, a reception and sorting station at Gufunes, the GAJA biogas and composting facility, and the Álfsnes landfill, plus the Góði hirðirinn secondhand marketplace for reuse.

Product overview

SORPA bs. is a municipal waste management company operating as a single integrated platform offering waste collection, sorting, recycling, composting, and landfill services. The portfolio includes the core Gufunes receiving and sorting station, the Álfsnes landfill, the GAJA gas and digestion station for food waste processing, six recycling stations, the Góði hirðirinn secondhand marketplace, and approximately 90 neighborhood container stations — all managed together to route waste through the circular economy hierarchy of reuse, recycling, and energy recovery. SORPA also operates a customer service web portal (þjónustuvefur). The organization does not handle garbage collection or bin rental, which is managed by individual municipalities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GAJA: Gas- and composting station that converts food waste into methane gas and compost (molta).
• Góði hirðirinn
• Efnismiðlun Góða hirðisins

Products and services

• Móttöku- og flokkunarstöð (Gufunes) - Reception and Sorting Station
• Endurvinnslustöðvar - Recycling Stations
• GAJA - Gas and Composting Station
• Góði hirðirinn - Secondhand Marketplace
• Grenndarstöðvar - Neighborhood Container Stations
• Álfsnes - Landfill Site
• Þjónustuvefur SORPU - Customer Service Portal
• Metan ehf. - Methane Fuel Sales

Quantifiable outcome

• 164,000 tonnes of waste processed in 2025
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Grænir skátar (Green Scouts)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Green Scouts (Scouting movement in Iceland) operate collection containers for deposit-return packaging at all SORPA recycling stations. Proceeds from collected materials support the organization's charitable activities.
• Endurvinnslan hf.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEndurvinnslan hf. operates deposit-return packaging collection at SORPA recycling stations in Ánanaustum and Breiðhellu with mechanical sorting. They handle all deposit-return packaging collected by SORPA and provide refunds to customers.
• Metan ehf.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMetan ehf. is a subsidiary separated from SORPA on January 1, 2025 to focus on methane gas purification and sales operations. The company produces and sells environmentally certified methane fuel (Swan ecolabel certified) and manages the gas purification station. SORPA holds ownership stake in Metan.
• Resource (Environmental Consultancy)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerResource is an environmental consultancy firm that conducts independent bag composition analysis and provides waste composition research services for SORPA annually.
• Red Cross Iceland (Rauði kross Íslands)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHistorically, SORPA partnered with Red Cross Iceland and other charitable organizations for reuse of items collected at recycling stations. This partnership evolved into the Góði hirðirinn secondhand marketplace.

Scale indicators21 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Vestforbrænding: Municipal-owned waste-to-energy company serving 19 municipalities in the Copenhagen region, operating incineration, recycling, and hazardous-waste facilities. Highly comparable to SORPA on owner structure (municipal association), integrated waste hierarchy, and reliance on energy recovery; differs by larger scale and incineration focus.
• Ragn-Sells: Major Nordic waste-management company operating across collection, recycling, hazardous waste, and circular-economy services in Sweden, Norway, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Directly comparable to SORPA on multi-stream waste services, recycling rate focus, and Nordic regulatory environment, though it is a private commercial operator rather than a municipal association.
• Amager Resource Center (ARC): Waste-to-energy plant jointly owned by five Copenhagen-area municipalities, combining incineration with district heating and recycling services. Closely comparable to SORPA's municipal-ownership model and integrated waste-to-energy strategy; serves a similar urban Nordic catchment.
• BIR (Bergenshalvøens Kommunale Kraftselskap): Norwegian inter-municipal waste company owned by 13 municipalities, operating collection, recycling stations, hazardous-waste handling, and treatment facilities. Directly comparable to SORPA on the byggðasamlag/municipal-association structure, regional monopoly, and recycling-station network model.
• IVAR: Inter-municipal water, wastewater, and waste company owned by 16 municipalities in the Stavanger region of Norway. Comparable to SORPA on inter-municipal governance structure, regulated monopoly status, and integrated utility-service mandate, though water/wastewater dominate its mix.
• Norsk Gjenvinning: One of Norway's largest waste and recycling companies, providing collection, sorting, hazardous-waste handling, and circular-economy services to industrial and municipal customers. Comparable to SORPA on multi-stream services and Nordic market context, though commercial rather than municipally owned.

Broad incumbents

• Remondis: One of Europe's largest privately held recycling and waste-management groups, operating collection, sorting, composting, and energy-recovery services across more than 30 countries. Comparable to SORPA on full waste-hierarchy coverage, but vastly larger, privately held, and global in scope rather than regional/municipal.
• Veolia (Veolia Environmental Services): Global environmental services company providing waste management, recycling, and energy-recovery services across dozens of countries, including Nordic operations. Comparable to SORPA on full waste-hierarchy service portfolio, but operates as a publicly listed multinational rather than a regional municipal association.
• SUEZ (now including former Suez waste operations in Europe): Global environmental services group operating water, waste, and circular-economy solutions in Europe and internationally. Comparable to SORPA on integrated waste-to-resource capabilities and recycling ambition, but at vastly greater scale and with global footprint; an investor or partner benchmark rather than direct Nordic competitor.

Regional players

• Retur Greenland: Producer responsibility organization handling packaging and beverage-container return in Greenland, with associated waste/recycling programs. Adjacent comparable to SORPA on Arctic/Nordic recycling infrastructure and small-population service territory; not a direct operational peer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/flokkumogskilum
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sorpa-bs-

Compliance8 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 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 SORPA