Ategrus

What Ategrus does

Ategrus (legal name: ATEGRUS — Asociación Técnica para la Gestión de Residuos y Medio Ambiente) is a Spanish nonprofit technical association founded in 1965 and headquartered at Costa Kalea 12, Bilbao. It operates as the official Spanish national member of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA) and is, by its own positioning, the only Spanish association comprehensively covering waste management, urban cleaning, and environmental systems. Ategrus serves three primary constituencies: Spanish municipalities seeking peer benchmarking in waste and urban services; waste-management and environmental companies seeking visibility and networking; and technical professionals seeking knowledge exchange and continuing education — with a secondary international cooperation remit directed at Latin American institutions.

The association's commercial offering is structured around a portfolio of services rather than a technology platform: a Technical Secretariat (Secretaría Técnica), a regular Newsletter, a studies and publications library (docuteca) covering energy, water, environmental pollution, waste, beaches, and sustainable urbanism, international cooperation programs, and a business directory for sector companies. Its flagship assets are recurring event series — the ECOPLAYAS beach management congress held annually since 1985, the Vertederos Controlados (controlled landfills) conference series, and the international Premios Escobas awards program (with Plata, Oro, and Platino tiers, marking its 20th edition in 2026). Ategrus does not sell products but operates a membership-based subscription model, charging annual member fees to municipalities, companies, and technicians, while layering professional-services revenue from event organization (sponsorships, registrations) and publication sales. Go-to-market is community-led, drawing members through ISWA affiliation, conference programming, awards recognition, and direct outreach; the organization coordinates Spanish delegations at major international platforms including the ISWA World Congress, IFAT Munich, TECMA/IFEMA, MUNICIPALIA/Fira de Lleida, and Fira de Zaragoza's CITY.360.

The operating model is small and lean — eight total employees operating from a single Bilbao office — reflecting the nonprofit association structure rather than a venture-backed commercial entity. Ategrus has no subsidiaries, no parent company, no funding rounds, no patents, no public listing, and no disclosed financial statements; revenue is funded entirely through member dues, event and conference income, and publication fees. Strategically, the organization is in a sustained steady-state: it continues to expand its event portfolio into 2026 (ECOPLAYAS in Cádiz, DS Industry in Bilbao, CITY.360, Foro de las Ciudades, TECMA, ISWA London), launched an ISWA Young Professionals Group Spain chapter to refresh its membership base, and is leveraging its decades-deep institutional relationships as its primary defensible asset.

Name

Ategrus

Legal name

ATEGRUS - Asociación Técnica para la Gestión de Residuos y Medio Ambiente

Website

https://ategrus.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ategrus is a Spanish nonprofit technical association founded in 1965 in Bilbao, serving as the country's official ISWA national member. It unites Spanish municipalities, waste management companies, and technical professionals around conferences, publications, awards, and international cooperation in environmental services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management Association Services

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADANAB

Technical Committees, Working Groups & Expert Panels

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Standards, Policy & Regulatory Cooperation

SECONDARYEUAHAIAK

Compliance Obligations Management (Permits-to-Controls Mapping)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Compliance, Monitoring & Consulting/Environmental Management Systems (EMS) & ISO 14001 Consulting

SECONDARYEUAHAAAH

Stakeholder Engagement, Indigenous/Tribal Consultation & Social Impact (SIA)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Compliance, Monitoring & Consulting/Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) & Permitting

Keywords

• Waste management association
• Environmental services
• Urban cleaning
• Beach management
• Circular economy

Headquarters

HQ city

Bilbao

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Revenue generated through annual membership fees from municipalities, companies, and technicians in the waste management and environmental sector.
2. Event Organization: Revenue from organizing congresses, conferences, and events including ECOPLAYAS, Vertederos Controlados conferences, and the Premios Escobas awards ceremony.
3. Publications and Studies: Revenue from studies, publications, reports, and bulletins on waste management and environmental topics.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ategrus is a Spanish nonprofit technical association that delivers membership-based services to municipalities, companies, and technical professionals in the waste management and environmental sector. Its core offerings are technical secretariat support, sector studies and publications, organization of congresses and conferences (ECOPLAYAS, Vertederos Controlados, ISWA World Congress), international cooperation programs, a sector business directory, webinars, and award programs. As the Spanish national member of ISWA, it provides members with privileged access to international networks, standards bodies, and global best practices.

Product overview

Ategrus (Asociación Técnica para la Gestión de Residuos y Medio Ambiente) is a Spanish technical association established in 1965 that provides a comprehensive suite of services focused on waste management, environmental protection, and sustainable urban development. The organization operates as a unified service portfolio centered on knowledge sharing and professional development rather than a technology platform. Its core offerings include technical secretariat services, newsletter and publication services, international cooperation, and a business directory for the waste management sector. The association organizes major conferences including ECOPLAYAS (beach management congress since 1985) and annual conferences on controlled landfills. It administers multiple award programs including the Premios Escobas (Plata, Oro, Platino), the Premio a la Trayectoria en la Gestión de Residuos, and the XIX Premios Bandera ECOPLAYAS. Ategrus also delivers webinars and seminars on regulatory and technical topics, and serves as the Spanish national member of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA), facilitating international participation including hosting the ISWA World Congress 2019 in Bilbao.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Technical Secretariat (Secretaría Técnica) Specialized technical support and coordination service providing members with sector-specific guidance in waste management, urban cleaning, and environmental services. Targeted at municipalities, companies, and technical professionals.
• Newsletter Service
• Studies and Publications (Estudios y Publicaciones)
• Congress and Conference Organization
• International Cooperation Program
• Reports and Bulletins (Informes y Boletines)
• Sector Business Directory (Directorio de Empresas)
• ECOPLAYAS Congress
• Controlled Landfills Conference (Conferencias sobre Vertederos Controlados)
• Premios Escobas Award Program
• Premio a la Trayectoria en la Gestión de Residuos
• XIX Premios Bandera ECOPLAYAS
• Webinars and Seminars (Webinarios y Seminarios)
• ISWA World Congress Participation Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 international congress participants at ISWA World Congress 2019 Bilbao

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• ISWA (International Solid Waste Association)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1965ATEGRUS is the official Spanish national member of ISWA, the International Solid Waste Association. This partnership provides ATEGRUS members with privileged access to international organizations, global best practices in waste management, and participation in ISWA World Congresses. ATEGRUS organized the ISWA World Congress 2019 in Bilbao, which attracted over 1,000 international participants.
• ECN (European Compost Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with the European Compost Network for organic resources and biological treatment information sharing and networking.
• IFEMA (Institución Ferial de Madrid)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerATEGRUS participates in TECMA (Feria Internacional del Urbanismo y Medio Ambiente) organized by IFEMA, sharing exhibition space with the Forum of Cities and other environmental events.
• Fira de ZaragozaminorGTM or Marketing PartnerParticipation in CITY.360 event organized by Feria de Zaragoza as a platform for public administration solutions.
• Fira de Lleida (Municipalia)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerATEGRUS organizes the Vertederos Controlados conference in the framework of MUNICIPALIA fair at Fira de Lleida, addressing controlled landfills and waste management topics.
• IFAT MunichminorGTM or Marketing PartnerParticipation as Spanish national member of ISWA at IFAT Munich, the world's leading trade fair for environmental technologies, with presence at the ISWA pavilion.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• European Federation of Waste Management and Environmental Services (FEAD): The EU-level federation representing national waste management associations and private operators in Europe. Like ATEGRUS it represents industry voices to policymakers, but at the EU rather than national level, serving as a direct functional comparator for cross-border advocacy work.
• International Solid Waste Association (ISWA): Global umbrella waste management association of which ATEGRUS is the Spanish national member. ISWA operates the same trade-association model (memberships, working groups, world congresses, publications) at international scale, providing the comparative benchmark and the international network that ATEGRUS plugs into.

Regional players

• AER (Associació Empresarial de Residus de Catalunya): Catalan regional waste management employers' association. Directly comparable as a Spanish trade association in the waste sector, but serving a single autonomous community rather than the national scope that ATEGRUS covers.
• ANEPMA (Asociación Nacional de Empresas Públicas de Medio Ambiente): Spanish national association of public environmental services companies (municipal and publicly owned waste and environment operators). Comparable as a Spain-based national association serving the same municipal and operator ecosystem, but focused on public-company members rather than the broader tripartite model ATEGRUS offers.

Direct peers

• Chartered Institute of Waste Management (CIWM): The UK's professional body for the waste and resource management sector. Comparable to ATEGRUS as a membership organization providing technical credentials, industry events, policy advocacy, and publications to waste management professionals.
• Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA): The leading US national membership association for solid waste professionals, directly comparable to ATEGRUS in mission (municipal and industry waste management support), structure (membership-driven, conferences, technical resources), and revenue model (dues, events, publications).
• WasteMINZ (Waste Management Institute of New Zealand): New Zealand's national waste sector membership organization, offering the same combination of memberships, conferences, awards, and publications around waste minimization and resource recovery. Operates at national scale for an analogous professional community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OnWaste
• Facebookfacebook.com/Ategrus-188519511252907
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ategrus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Ategrus