What QBS Ltd does

QBS Ltd (legal name: Qualiflex Biproduct Solutions Ltd, trading as QBS-UK) is a UK-registered private limited company founded in 2009 and headquartered in Woolpit, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk. It is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Netherlands-based Smits Group. QBS provides bespoke commercial waste management services to food and beverage manufacturers, beverage producers (including alcoholic beverage processors), agricultural businesses, pig farmers, and government departments across the UK. Its core offering is an integrated total-waste-management solution built around a Zero to Landfill policy, a 100% brand protection guarantee, and full chain-of-custody traceability from collection to destruction.

The company's six core service lines are: Food Waste Recycling (commercial food waste collection and disposal), Beverage Recycling (national recycling network with customs permits for excisable goods), Glass Product Recycling (full recycling of glass-packaged products including alcohol), Grains & Seeds Service (bulk collection of maize, rye, rice, bran, barley and other agricultural co-products), Animal Feed Service (wet feed diversion to pig farms across the UK and Europe via the Smits Group network), and Anaerobic Digestion (conversion of organic feedstock into biogas supplied to the National Grid, with high-quality fertiliser as a byproduct). Underlying operational infrastructure consists of a national network of secured recycling sites with strict access controls and CCTV surveillance, plus anaerobic digestion processing facilities that generate renewable energy revenue.

QBS generates revenue through transaction fees on waste collection, disposal, and processing services, with all pricing determined via bespoke quotation rather than published rate cards. The go-to-market is sales-led and consultative, relying on a website with detailed service pages, customer testimonials (prominently featuring Jakemans and Roger Skinner Ltd), downloadable digital brochures, and direct engagement via phone and contact forms. Regulatory credentials — UFAS merchant approval and Customs permits for excisable goods — are core to accessing regulated segments such as alcoholic beverage, dairy, and animal feed customers. The UK entity operates with approximately 5 employees and is positioned as a sales and service overlay onto the larger European infrastructure of its Smits Group parent.

Name

QBS Ltd

Legal name

Qualiflex Biproduct Solutions Ltd

Website

https://qbs-uk.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

QBS Ltd is a UK waste management subsidiary of Netherlands-based Smits Group that provides bespoke food, beverage, glass, grain, and animal feed recycling services with a zero-to-landfill policy. It serves UK and European enterprises in food and beverage, agriculture, and government with secured, traceable disposal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management Services

NAICS

Waste Collection (5621), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Roll-Off / Containerized MSW Collection (Commercial & Industrial) (EUAIAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Industrial Packaging Waste Services (Pallets, Cardboard, Film, IBCs/Drums—Non-hazardous) (EUAIAGAD)

Keywords

• Waste management services
• Food waste recycling
• Beverage waste disposal
• Anaerobic digestion services
• Animal feed diversion

Headquarters

HQ city

Woolpit, Bury St Edmunds

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Waste Collection and Disposal Services: QBS generates revenue through providing bespoke commercial waste collection and disposal services. The company offers tailored solutions for food waste, beverage waste, glass products, grains and seeds, and animal feed. Services include regular collections or one-off pickups using bulker services or curtain-sided vehicles. The company turns waste disposal costs into potential income streams for clients (as demonstrated by Jakemans achieving a small income stream from waste sweets previously sent to landfill).
2. Anaerobic Digestion Processing: Converting organic waste materials into biogas through anaerobic digestion, with the resulting biogas supplied to the National Grid, creating renewable energy revenue.
3. Animal Feed Sales: Diverting food waste to high quality animal feed for pig farms throughout the UK and across Europe, leveraging the parent company's Smits Group agricultural pedigree including pig farm network.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

QBS Ltd provides commercial waste collection and disposal services for the food, beverage, and agricultural industries across the UK. The company offers bespoke solutions spanning food waste recycling, beverage waste disposal (including excisable goods), glass product recycling, grain and seed waste collection, animal feed diversion to pig farms, and anaerobic digestion of organic feedstock into biogas supplied to the National Grid. Services are delivered under a zero-to-landfill policy with a 100% brand protection guarantee and full traceability from collection to destruction.

Product overview

QBS Ltd is a waste management company providing integrated food, beverage, and agricultural waste recycling and disposal services across the UK. Their service portfolio comprises six core offerings: Food Waste Recycling (tailored commercial disposal with zero landfill policy), Beverage Recycling (national network with customs permits for alcohol), Glass Product Recycling (full glass and product recycling), Grains and Seeds Service (collection of agricultural waste), Animal Feed Service (diverting food waste to pig farms via wet feed), and Anaerobic Digestion (converting organic feedstock to biogas for National Grid). The company operates as a single integrated waste management solution with 100% brand protection guarantee and full traceability from collection to destruction, organized under the parent company Smits Group.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Food Waste Recycling Bespoke commercial food waste collection and disposal service reducing client carbon footprint through a zero-to-landfill policy. Uses bulker or curtain-sided vehicles for tailored pickups.
• Beverage Recycling Disposal of beverage waste including alcohol, smoothies, sodas, dairy, fruit juices, and soft drinks through a national network of recycling sites with high traceability and customs compliance.
• Glass Product Recycling Specialist disposal and full recycling of food and beverage products contained in glass, including those with alcohol, with 100% traceability and brand protection.
• Grains and Seeds Service Collection and disposal of grain and seed waste products including maize, rye, poppy seeds, rice, bran, barley, and oats using bulker or curtain-sided vehicles for fast, efficient removal that frees storage space.
• Animal Feed Service Diverts food waste to wet feed supplied to pig farms throughout the UK and across Europe, providing low-cost, sustainable, and nutritional feed backed by UFAS approval.
• Anaerobic Digestion Biological process using micro-organisms to convert organic feedstock into biogas (carbon dioxide and methane) supplied to the National Grid, with high-quality fertiliser produced as a byproduct for the local environment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Jakemans reduced waste disposal costs from approximately £15k/year while production increased from 75 tonnes per week to 110 tonnes per week, and converted waste disposal costs into a small income stream through Anaerobic Digestion
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Smits GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmits Group, headquartered in the Netherlands, is the parent company and network of companies that owns QBS. This relationship provides QBS with a large agricultural pedigree including a pig farm network, enabling unique animal feed diversion capabilities. QBS leverages this European expertise and years of food waste management experience to offer greener solutions in the British Isles.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Suez Recycling and Recovery UK: Suez (now part of Veolia) operates UK commercial waste collection, materials recycling, and energy-from-waste facilities. Overlaps with QBS on commercial organic waste collection and recycling brokerage for large manufacturers.
• Biffa: Biffa is one of the UK's largest waste management companies offering commercial collection, recycling, and AD services nationally. While much broader than QBS, it directly competes for the same food and beverage manufacturer contracts across the UK.
• Veolia UK: Veolia operates large-scale commercial waste collection, AD, and recycling infrastructure across the UK, including food and beverage waste streams. It competes with QBS on enterprise food manufacturer accounts but as part of a far wider portfolio.
• Renewi: Renewi is a European waste-to-product company with UK commercial waste collection and recycling operations. It competes for commercial organic waste streams and offers similar downstream recycling and energy recovery routes.
• FCC Environment: FCC Environment is a major UK waste and recycling company serving municipalities and commercial customers. It overlaps with QBS in commercial and industrial waste collection, recycling brokerage, and AD of organic material.

Direct peers

• Olleco: Olleco is a UK specialist in used cooking oil and food waste collection for the food service and food manufacturing sectors. Comparable to QBS on target customers, B2B collection model, and downstream routing of organic waste into renewable products.
• ReFood (SARIA UK): ReFood is a UK food-waste collection and anaerobic digestion operator serving food manufacturers, retailers, and caterers. Highly comparable to QBS on customer base (food/beverage producers), service mix (food waste to AD), and regulatory positioning (animal feed by-products).
• Bywaters: Bywaters is a UK commercial waste and recycling specialist serving food manufacturers, hospitality, and retail with collection, recycling, and reporting services. Comparable to QBS on B2B food-sector focus and emphasis on diversion reporting.

Others

• Smits Group: Netherlands-based parent of QBS and operator of European food-waste management and pig-farming operations. Comparable as the upstream European platform that funds and consumes QBS's wet feed offtake, not a direct commercial competitor in the UK.
• Anglian Water Bioresources: Operates large-scale AD plants in the UK accepting food and organic waste for biogas production. Comparable to QBS's AD processing capability, though structured as utility-led infrastructure rather than a haulier-led service.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qbsuk

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 QBS Ltd