Biffa employee in facility

Recycling & recovery processes

Meet the experts in recycling and recovery processing.

Processing waste to power the circular economy

Recycling and recovery processes are an integral part of the sustainable waste journey. We make sure as much waste as possible is either recycled or transformed into a raw material or resource to be looped back into the circular economy.  

Recycling and recovery processes

Sorting and separating material to be passed onto the right facility for recycling or recovery
Recycling waste to produce raw material for reuse in packaging and other products
The treatment of street sweepings and glass residues to recover sharp sand and stone for use in construction
Cleaning contaminated soil such as railway ballast and oil sludges etc
Safe and compliant treatment of liquid waste, including hazardous and non-hazardous liquids
Organic processing to create biogas, compost, or liquid fertiliser
Recovering energy from waste that cannot be recycled or organically processed
Creating fuel for vehicles from residual waste
Secure waste disposal and destruction
Biffa recycling processes map
Biffa flow of waste diagram

Discover what we can do for you 

Polyethylene Terephthalate mixed bottles at Biffa's recycled commodities facility

Plastic recycling

The plastic recycling market leader, we produce high-quality recycled polymer every year from over 165,000 tonnes of plastic.
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Biffa AD Poplars

Food waste processing

Through Anaerobic Digestion we turn food waste into biogas helping to power UK businesses and home. We also create liquid fertiliser from food waste.
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Excavator lifting soil from large amount

Soil treatment

We can decontaminate soil from brownfield sites in as little as eight weeks.
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Truck offloading aggregate material

Aggregates treatment

If you’re a large-scale producer of street sweepings, glass residue and gulley suckings, we can help treat and recover materials for use in construction.
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Biffa tanker sucking liquid waste

Bulk liquid treatment

We offer tanker and treatment solutions for all liquid wastes including sewerage, interceptors, and industrial effluents, as well as food and beverage liquids and sludges.
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Biffa energy from waste facility

Secure Waste & Recycling (SWARF)

Our government-approved secure destruction facility ensures safety and compliance to dispose and recover a range of items.
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Working in partnership

We work in partnership with customers and other waste management suppliers to ensure as much waste as possible is recycled and recovered, safely and compliantly. We have over 100 facilities all over the UK to support the sustainable processing of waste.

Plastic and Material Recycling Facilities (PRFs & MRFs)

We operate 9 plastic and material recycling facilities across the UK which are vital in the separation of recyclable materials into the appropriate recycling streams.

Anaerobic Digestion (AD) plants

Our AD plants accept large volumes of food waste for reprocessing then converted into electricity.

Soil treatment facilities

Working in partnership with Biogenie, we offer full end-to-end service, from technical advice and material testing to treatment and recovery.

In vessel & open windrow composting sites

Our composting sites process approximately 80,000 tonnes per annum respectively of green waste.

Aggregate treatment recycling facilities

We operate 2 aggregate treatment plants which process over 40,000 tonnes of street sweepings each year.

Energy from waste

Our energy division creates sustainable electricity and gas from the processing of waste at facilities across the UK.

The commercial and environmental benefits

There’s a solution for almost all types of waste
Raw materials and products produced can be looped back into the circular economy
We can help increase recycling rates and in turn, recycling rebates for businesses
As much waste as possible is diverted from landfill
We help reduce the impact of commercial waste on the environment
With facilities all over the UK, we also help to reduce carbon emissions

Interested in our recycled and recovered products?

As a result of our recycling and recovery processes we're able to create value from waste in the form of recycled products. These recycled products which include food grade plastic pellets, compost, and recycled commodities, can be used in a variety of commercial processes and operations. From making recycled plastic bottles, to supporting the growth of crops.
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