What Midwaste does

Midwaste is a Dutch cooperative association (Coöperatieve Vereniging) headquartered in Delft, founded in 2001, that operates as a non-profit (zonder winstoogmerk) linking 17 regional public waste collection and cleaning companies in their transition to a circular economy. The cooperative serves approximately 2 million Dutch households across roughly 100 municipalities, equivalent to about 25% of all Dutch households, by bundling volumes, aggregating purchasing power, and coordinating the waste-to-resource chain on behalf of its members. Midwaste runs centralized EU tenders (aanbestedingen) for processing capacity, transport, collection containers, underground containers, vehicles, energy, and fuels, and conducts contract management on behalf of members.

Its core operational product is Regie Kunststoffen Nederland (RKN), a joint initiative with HVC established in 2019 that orchestrates the collection, transfer, logistics, and quality assurance of household source-separated PMD (Plastic, Metal, Drink cartons) for approximately 200 municipalities. RKN manages 34 op- en overslag transfer locations across the Netherlands, of which 6 are jointly operated with Verpact, and coordinates weekly transport to sorting installations. In 2024 RKN handled 231 kiloton net PMD, achieving 49% plastic packaging recycling and 46% drink carton recycling rates, supported by 110+ annual composition analyses and a certified Keurmeester training program for acceptors. Additional products include the Kwaliteitsapp PMD mobile application (launched June 2025 with JUMP and VANG, integrated with VANGTool) and innovation projects such as the MUNITION Digital Twin with Radboud Universiteit, TNO, and other consortium partners, plus circular pilots in mattresses, furniture dismantling, and laminate flooring. The Afvalcoach Netwerk, co-organized with NVRD and Blink, brings waste coaches from across the country together for themed knowledge-exchange sessions.

The revenue model is built on cooperative membership service fees (subscription-like recurring) supplemented by managed services fees tied to collective procurement and contracting. Midwaste has a lean bureau team of approximately 15-20 professionals and operates exclusively in the Netherlands, with no consumer-facing products. Recent strategic activity has focused on membership expansion (Blink in July 2025, Leiden in November 2025, Den Haag in March 2026) and deepening the data and innovation layer through new digital tools and consortium-led circular-economy projects.

Name

Midwaste

Legal name

Coöperatieve Vereniging Midwaste

Website

https://midwaste.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Midwaste is a Dutch non-profit cooperative of 17 regional public waste and cleaning companies, bundling volumes and procurement power to serve approximately 2 million households (~25% of the Netherlands) across 100 municipalities, with RKN coordinating PMD collection and quality for 200 municipalities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Waste Management Services

NAICS

Waste Management and Remediation Services (562), Waste Collection (5621), Solid Waste Collection (562111), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622), Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Material Handling & Loading Services (Tipping, Compaction, Baling, Densification) (EUAIABAI), Bulky Waste & White Goods Drop-Off/Transfer (BPALABAE), Commercial & Office Waste Collection (Non-hazardous) (EUAIAGAA)

Keywords

• Waste management cooperative
• Circular economy services
• Public procurement services
• PMD recycling coordination
• Municipal waste collection

Headquarters

HQ city

Delft

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Cooperative membership service fees: Midwaste operates as a non-profit cooperative association (coöperatieve vereniging). Revenue is generated through service fees charged to member municipalities and public waste collection companies. The organization works without a profit motive (zonder winstoogmerk). Members benefit from bundled volumes, shared knowledge, and collective procurement power to reduce costs and maximize circular outcomes.
2. Collective procurement and contracting services: Midwaste manages large-scale procurement and EU tendering processes for recycling and processing capacity, transport, and op- & overslag on behalf of members. Procurement includes collection containers, underground containers, collection vehicles, energy, and fuels. The cooperative structure enables cost-efficient public procurement while ensuring continuity and stability in processing flows.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Midwaste is a non-profit cooperative association of 17 regional public waste and cleaning companies in the Netherlands. It bundles member volumes and purchasing power for collective EU procurement of recycling capacity, transport, and collection equipment, and coordinates the waste-to-resource chain for approximately 100 Dutch municipalities. Core service lines include RKN (Regie Kunststoffen Nederland) PMD chain coordination with HVC, the Kwaliteitsapp PMD quality inspection app, the Afvalcoach Netwerk knowledge community, and circular innovation projects.

Product overview

Midwaste is a cooperative association of 17 regional public waste and cleaning companies serving approximately 2,000,000 households. The organization operates as a linking chain in the waste-to-resource process. Key products include RKN (Regie Kunststoffen Nederland) for managing PMD collection and quality, the Kwaliteitsapp PMD for quality inspection, and the Afvalcoach Netwerk for professional networking. The service portfolio covers raw material streams (papier en karton, hout, textiel, glas, PMD) with projects focused on furniture dismantling, mattress chains, laminate flooring processing, and digital tools like MUNITION. Midwaste functions without profit motive, bundling volumes and expertise for its public sector members.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Regie Kunststoffen Nederland (RKN): A joint initiative of Midwaste and HVC that coordinates collection, logistics, and quality assurance of household PMD (Plastic, Metal and Drink packaging) for approximately 200 municipalities in the Netherlands. RKN manages 34 transfer stations, ensures weekly transport to sorting facilities, and handles EVOA notifications.

Products and services

• RKN (Regie Kunststoffen Nederland) A joint Midwaste-HVC initiative that manages transfer, logistics, and quality assurance of household source-separated PMD for approximately 200 Dutch municipalities, coordinating 34 transfer locations, weekly transport to sorting installations, and EVOA notifications.
• Kwaliteitsapp PMD A mobile application that enables acceptors to record PMD (Plastic, Metal, and Drink cartons) inspection data including photos and contaminants, with results automatically linked to VANGTool and displayed as a quality report on the weighbridge page.
• Collective EU procurement and tendering services Managed procurement and EU tendering for recycling and processing capacity, transport, op- & overslag, collection containers, underground containers, collection vehicles, energy, and fuels on behalf of member organizations.
• Afvalcoach Netwerk A collaboration between Midwaste, NVRD, and Blink that brings together waste and raw material coaches from across the country for knowledge exchange and networking during themed meetings on topics such as glass, PMD, and behavioral change.
• Grondstoffen (Raw Materials) coordination Service category covering the coordination of waste and raw material streams including paper and cardboard, wood, textiles, glass, and PMD, ensuring materials are collected and processed as circularly as possible.
• Circulaire theedoek (Circular tea towel) Circular tea towel product made from textiles collected by Midwaste members, manufactured by Wolkat via fiber-to-fiber recycling, sold in minimum orders of 200 units at €2 per piece.

Quantifiable outcome

• 231 kiloton net PMD collected (2024)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• VerpactcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Verpact is the Dutch packaging waste management organization. RKN collaborates with Verpact on 6 of its 34 transfer locations and participates in the SOV Verpakkingen 2025-2030 agreement together with VNG and NVRD. Verpact provides financial support for municipalities' quality improvement plans.
• HVCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019HVC and Midwaste jointly established RKN (Regie Kunststoffen Nederland) in 2019. RKN coordinates op- and overslag, logistics, and quality assurance of household source-separated PMD for approximately 200 municipalities. This is a foundational partnership that powers the core PMD chain coordination across the Netherlands.
• VNG (Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVNG is the Association of Dutch Municipalities. Together with NVRD and Verpact, VNG signed the SOV Verpakkingen 2025-2030 agreement covering PMD, paper, cardboard, glass, and polystyrene packaging collection and processing. This partnership shapes national policy and funding frameworks that directly affect Midwaste's operations.
• NVRD (Nederlandse Vereniging voor Afval- en Reinigingsdiensten)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNVRD is the Dutch association for waste and cleaning services. Midwaste partners with NVRD on the Afvalcoach Netwerk (co-organizing annual waste coach gatherings), the Lang Leve Elektronica Coalitie e-waste pilot, and the SOV Verpakkingen 2025-2030 agreement. NVRD provides sector-wide knowledge and network reach.
• WolkatcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWolkat is a specialized textile recycling company. Midwaste and Wolkat collaborate on textile collection processing: Wolkat organizes sorting in Tilburg, fiber-to-fiber recycling in Morocco, and marketing of recycled textile. Wolkat opened a new sorting line in Tilburg in September 2023 specifically for Midwaste members. Wolkat also created a circular tea towel from collected Midwaste-member textiles.
• Ardagh GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerArdagh Group hosted the 2026 Afvalcoach Netwerk annual gathering at their glass manufacturing facility in Moerdijk. The site tour showed waste coaches the glass production process, reinforcing the importance of clean glass separation.
• Stichting Duurzaam VerpakkingsglasminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerStichting Duurzaam Verpakkingsglas co-organized the 2026 Afvalcoach Netwerk session on glass recycling, providing expertise on sustainable packaging glass and contributing to educational content for waste coaches.
• FlextyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlexty demonstrated how they conduct random contamination checks in glass at the 2026 Afvalcoach Netwerk gathering, helping waste coaches understand glass quality control and processing challenges.
• Lang Leve Elektronica Coalitie (LLE Coalitie)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Lang Leve Elektronica (Long Live Electronics) Coalitie is a partnership of electronics industry parties working to extend the lifespan of electronic devices. Midwaste participates in the LLE's Icoonproject Tweedehands e-waste pilot at 8 Dutch milieustraten, testing better e-waste separation and reuse collection methods.
• MeerlandencoreOthersMeerlanden is one of the 17 Midwaste member companies. Midwaste posts vacancies on behalf of Meerlanden, including positions for Administrative Fleet Officer, ICT Project Manager, and Pest Control/Market Master. Meerlanden operates the Green Energy Factory and a chain store (Meerwinkel).
• Nieuwe WendingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNieuwe Wending is a communication and behavior consultancy that provided training on resistance and behavioral change at the 2024 Afvalcoach Netwerk gathering, helping waste coaches develop skills for resident engagement on waste separation.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Prezero: Prezero is the Schwarz Group's environmental services division operating across Europe in waste collection, sorting, and recycling. Comparable to Midwaste as a large European waste management services provider, though operating commercially across multiple countries.
• Renewi: Renewi is a UK and Benelux-listed waste management company operating collection, recycling, and processing services. It is a comparable player in the broader Dutch waste services market, though commercial rather than cooperative.
• SUEZ Recycling and Recovery Netherlands: SUEZ provides waste collection, recycling, and recovery services for Dutch municipalities. Comparable to Midwaste as a significant contractor in the Dutch municipal waste services market, though operating as a commercial international player.
• HVC: HVC is a Dutch public waste and energy company that co-owns RKN with Midwaste. It is both a partner and a comparable regional public waste organization competing for similar municipal relationships in the Netherlands.
• Veolia Milieu NV: Veolia operates waste management and environmental services in the Netherlands, serving municipalities and industrial clients. Closely comparable to Midwaste's member companies in offering municipal collection and recycling services.

Others

• NVRD: NVRD is the Dutch association for waste and cleaning services companies. Midwaste is a member and co-organizes the Afvalcoach Netwerk with NVRD. Comparable as a sector-wide institution serving the same Dutch public waste ecosystem.
• Verpact: Verpact is the Dutch packaging waste management organization responsible for implementing producer responsibility for packaging. Midwaste partners with Verpact on six RKN transfer locations and the SOV Verpakkingen 2025-2030 agreement.

Direct peers

• Wolkat: Wolkat is a Dutch textile recycling company that operates a sorting line in Tilburg specifically for Midwaste members. It is a direct downstream partner in Midwaste's textile circular economy value chain, with similar focus on circular material streams.

Regional players

• ARN (Auto Recycling Nederland): ARN is a Dutch producer responsibility organization for end-of-life vehicles. Comparable to Midwaste's chain coordination role as a national coordinator in a specific waste stream, though focused on automotive rather than municipal waste.

Emerging players

• WEEELABEX / WEEE Forum: WEEE Forum is a European association of e-waste producer responsibility organizations. Comparable to Midwaste as a coordinating body for waste collection streams across municipalities, with thematic overlap in e-waste through the LLE Coalitie pilot.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/midwaste
• Xx.com/midwastedelft

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Midwaste