Meet the Wasteaters: Seen throughout the UK - Biffa
Biffa Wasteater at funfair

Meet the Wasteaters

Spotting a Wasteater

Wasteaters are large, red backed trucks with an elongated head and short but powerful rear, designed to propel the Wasteater’s towards its food. The Wasteater is multi-directional, whilst hunting for waste, it might appear to be moving backwards with its powerful cab pulling its body and head along. When prey has been spotted, the cab is kicked into reverse pushing the body slowly towards waste filled bins. 

 

Biffa Wasteater Vehicle

Meet the Wasteaters

Biffa Wasteater Vehicle

Wilma

Wilma loves big city life and you’ll spot her roaming around busy cosmopolitan streets. At the weekend, you might even see her dining behind the best city restaurants.

Favourite hangout: Leeds Cathedral
Favourite food: Aluminium Cans
Favourite film: Bindiana Jones
Biffa Wasteater Vehicle

Walter

The oldest and wisest out of all the Wasteaters, Walter loves to learn new things about recycling and sustainability but he hates it when he finds cross contamination in the bins. Walter has wide eyes and can spot a Biffa red bin from a mile away, which is handy for his driver navigating the crowded streets of London. Walter loves to eat all types of waste but his favourite is segregated food waste, especially if there is some leftover cheese!

Favourite hangout: Brick Lane
Favourite food: Yogurt pots
Favourite film: Dukes of Hazardous Waste
Biffa Wasteater Vehicle

Wanda

There is no other Wasteater that loves life as much as Wanda. With a permanent smile painted across her face she brightens up the day of anyone that she meets. Don’t be afraid of those big teeth or horns, Wanda loves having her photo taken and entertaining the crowds when she’s not collecting rubbish at festivals and other events across the country.

Favourite hangout: Hampden Park
Favourite food: Milk cartons
Favourite film: Good Will Recycling
Biffa Wasteater Vehicle

Wendy

Wendy is a tough cookie, she’s always on a mission to collect all of her bins in record time. She’s fierce, determined and her scary spiky exterior can be intimidating to many people who haven’t seen her softer side. Wendy loves the beach and nature and would love to see waste to landfill dramatically reduced.

Favourite hangout: Old Trafford
Favourite food: Tin cans
Favourite film: Bins of Anarchy
Biffa Wasteater Vehicle

Willy

Willy is the youngest of the Wasteater family but he’s by no means a baby, weighing 26 tonnes! He’s always keen to help out, whether it’s visiting schools or spotting hiding bins for his driver on dark winter mornings. Willy’s favourite past-time is listening to the Rolling Stones with his driver.

Favourite hangout: The Cavern Club
Favourite food: Cardboard and old newspapers
Favourite film: One Flew Over the Rubbish Bin
Biffa Wasteater Vehicle

Winston

Winston might look soft and fluffy on the outside but he’s Wilma’s Beta and is in charge of keeping all the waste collection vehicles in line around the coast. Some call him the “grumpy Wasteater” because he’s often heard growling but it’s really just his stomach because he’s always hungry for mixed recycables – paper, glass, cans, plastic, he loves them all!

Favourite hangout: Cardiff Castle
Favourite food: All the recyclables!
Favourite film: The Big Bin Theory
Biffa Wasteater Vehicle

Woody

Woody loves big towns and cities and isn’t afraid of exploring the narrow streets of York in order to track down bins which might contain his favourite food – glass! Doesn’t Woody’s exterior look strong? Wasteaters have to be in order to crush and compact the tonnes of rubbish they eat every day.

Favourite hangout: The Bull Ring
Favourite food: All types of glass
Favourite film: The Dark Knight Recycles
Biffa Wasteater vehicle on high street
What the Wasteaters eat
If you’ve ever witnesses a Wasteater feeding it may seem like they’re devouring rubbish bins but in fact it’s what’s inside the bins that the Wasteater’s want. Using powerful mechanics to lift rubbish bins, some of which can weigh up to 125kg, Wasteater’s tip the rubbish bin at a 135 degree angle allowing its contents to fall into the Wasteater’s completely hollow body. Different bins will hold different food for the Wasteaters, some have a mixture of plastic, paper, metal, and glass while others will have only food and some will have a bit of everything but it doesn’t matter to the Wasteaters, they’ll eat everything.

When and where to spot a Wasteater

Wasteater’s can be seen throughout the year but refrain from going out in the later afternoon when there is lots of traffic and people, as they’re quite shy really. If you’d like to spot a Wasteater, they can be found roaming around cities and towns in the early hours of the morning way before shops open. Wasteater’s love starting their day in cities because there is lots of bins around, filled with a variety of waste for the always hungry trucks. After getting their fill in the city, Wasteater’s will retreat to the countryside for casual snacking throughout the day before they retreat back to their depot homes, joining their waste collecting cousins.

UK map with red dotsMap of Wasteater locations