Ayelsbury, Bucks, England: Greenstar UK has acquired Dunstable Waste Group Ltd, a Bedfordshire-based commercial waste and recycling business trading as Firbank Chiltern.
Greenstar says that the acquisition is the latest development in its strategic drive to provide the first fully integrated, end-to-end recycling service in the UK. Last November, the NTR-owned company bought Verdant Group Plc, the privately-owned municipal services contractor with a portfolio of over 20 local authority customers in England, Scotland and Wales.
Based in Houghton Regis near Dunstable, Firbank Chiltern handles around 50,000 tonnes of waste and recyclable materials annually. Company operations involve collection of general waste, glass and mixed recyclables from commercial and industrial customers, as well as operating a 5,000 tonnes pa aluminium can recycling facility. The Dunstable facility also has a 175,000 tonnes licensed waste transfer station and materials recycling facility (MRF) producing in the region of 15,000 tonnes of recyclates each year.
Described by Greenstar CEO Ian Wakelin as a “well established, stable and profitable business”, Firbank Chiltern will enable Greenstar to develop an enhanced waste and recycling service for commercial customers in the area. This will complement Verdant’s strong presence in the region’s domestic waste and recycling market through its contracts with Chiltern, Mid Beds, South Beds, South Bucks, East Northants, South Oxfordshire and Wycombe councils.
Dunstable Waste Group
Dunstable Waste Group was established in 2003 through the amalgamation of Firbank Recycling Ltd and Chiltern Wasteaway Ltd. The company's operational area is essentially within a 30 mile radius covering the main urban centres of Dunstable, Bedford and Luton. Current directors Robert Firbank and Ray and Steve Levett will remain with the business to oversee a smooth transition.
Commenting on this latest acquisition, Ian Wakelin said:
“This deal gives Greenstar a bigger footprint in the South East. We see considerable opportunity for expanding our very successful commercial waste and recycling model in the region, for locking in synergies with Verdant’s municipal contracts and for capturing growing volumes of recyclable materials to feed our Aldridge MRF nearing completion on the outskirts of Birmingham.”
He added: “We’ve put in place yet another element of our strategic vision. Greenstar is well on its way to building a national network of fully integrated collection and processing services that will enable British companies and Britons to waste less and recycle more.”
Further information
Greenstar:
Greenstar is one of the UK’s leading recycling-led waste management companies, offering national coverage. With forecast annual revenue of £121m, it manages over 270,000 tons of material a year, operates from nearly 40 facilities throughout the UK, has around 1,450 employees and runs a fleet of over 500 trucks. Its numerous service capabilities meet needs ranging from complete waste management solutions through to accredited dry recycling, reprocessing and exporting facilities. Greenstar also offers an approved compliance scheme.
Website: http://www.greenstar.co.uk/
NTR
NTR plc - formerly National Toll Roads - is a private financier, developer and operator of public and environmental infrastructure.
The company is involved in public-private partnerships, though it is well known as the operator of the West-Link and East-Link toll bridges in Dublin, and the North-Link toll motorway on the M1 at Drogheda.
The company's interests are broad, including internet access provision through Irish Broadband, NTR Broadband, water with Celtic Anglian Water and waste management with Greenstar. Earlier this year it sold its electricity generating company Airtricity to Scottish and Southern Energy.