Biffa Limited is a

waste management Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of waste, together with monitor ...

company headquartered in

High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...

, England. It provides collection,

landfill A landfill is a site for the disposal of waste materials. It is the oldest and most common form of waste disposal, although the systematic burial of waste with daily, intermediate and final covers only began in the 1940s. In the past, waste was ...

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. This concept often includes the recovery of energy from waste materials. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the propert ...

and special waste services to

local authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

and industrial and

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

clients in the United Kingdom. , it was the UK's second-largest waste-management company. It was listed on the

London Stock Exchange The London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange based in London, England. the total market value of all companies trading on the LSE stood at US$3.42 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Paul's Cath ...

until it was acquired by the

private-equity firm A private equity firm or private equity company (often described as a financial sponsor) is an investment management company that provides financial backing and makes investments in the private equity of a Startup company, startup or of an existin ...

Energy Capital Partners in January 2023.

History

The company, which was originally engaged in the removal and sale of ashes and clinker from London power stations, was founded in

Wembley Wembley () is a large suburbIn British English, "suburb" often refers to the secondary urban centres of a city. Wembley is not a suburb in the American sense, i.e. a single-family residential area outside of the city itself. in the London Borou ...

by Richard Henry Biffa as Richard Biffa Limited, in 1912. In 1958 Richard Henry Biffa's grandson, Richard Charles Biffa, joined the business and, after becoming general manager in 1963, grew the business organically and by acquisition. The business was acquired by

British Electric Traction British Electric Traction Company Limited, renamed BET plc in 1985, was a large British industrial conglomerate. It was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index but was acquired by Rentokil in 1996, and the merged company is now known as Ren ...

in 1971 and by Severn Trent for £212 million in 1991. It acquired the American-owned UK Waste for £380 million in 2000. Severn Trent demerged the company to a consortium formed by

Global Infrastructure Partners Global Infrastructure Partners, LLC (GIP) is an American infrastructure investment fund making equity and selected debt investments across markets worldwide. GIP's main headquarters are located in New York City and its equity investments are bas ...

Montagu Private Equity Montagu is a mid-market private equity firm. The primary investment focus of Montagu is on management buyouts of performing businesses with enterprise values typically ranging from €200 million to €1 billion. History The firm was founded in 19 ...

and Uberior Co-Investment in 2008. It acquired recycling firm Greenstar UK for £135 million in 2010. The company was re-listed on the

on 17 October 2016. In June 2022, Biffa received a buyout proposal from

Energy Capital Partners at £4.45 a share, a 37% premium to the share price, valuing the company at £1.36 billion. The proposal was approved by the court, allowing it to proceed, on 25 January 2023.

Operations

Biffa covers 95% of the UK. The company runs two Material Recycling Facilities (MRF).

Prosecutions for illegal activities

Biffa has been prosecuted for the following breaches of environmental waste export laws: *The company was convicted of four breaches of waste shipment regulations during the period 2018–2019. *The company was convicted of attempting to export used nappies and materials illegally in 2020. *In 2021, the company was found guilty in a case brought about by the

Environment Agency The Environment Agency (EA) is a non-departmental public body, established in 1996 and sponsored by the United Kingdom government's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with responsibilities relating to the protection and enha ...

, having attempted to illegally export banned household waste items, including plastic bags, tins, clothing and condoms - incorrectly identified as waste paper. The company was fined £1.5 million, and severely rebuked by Judge Shane Collery QC, who described Biffa as "having shown no contrition" for this crime, referring to their actions as "reckless, bordering on deliberate".

References

External links

* {{Authority control Waste management companies of the United Kingdom Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange 1910 establishments in England High Wycombe 2016 initial public offerings 2023 mergers and acquisitions

History

Operations

Prosecutions for illegal activities

See also

References

External links