Enva has agreed to sell its general recycling businesses in Scotland and England to Biffa for an undisclosed sum. Completion in December will conclude Enva’s strategic refocus, leaving it concentrated on specialist resource recovery and environmental services across the UK and Ireland.

Enva was founded in 1972, is headquartered in Portlaoise and has been backed by I Squared Capital since 2023. Biffa is a High Wycombe-headquartered waste management group owned by Energy Capital Partners, and it reported revenue of £1.04 billion in 2021.

The structural driver is portfolio refocusing by specialist waste groups, which are selling general commercial and construction waste operations to scaled collectors and keeping streams that need technical capability. Enva will retain hazardous and liquid waste, oils, batteries, electrical waste and fridges, plastics, soils and aggregates, organics, industrial services and water services, along with general waste in Northern Ireland through Irish Waste and McNabb Waste. The sale follows the disposal of its wood business to Seras Energy in September 2026.

The businesses being sold operate at Linwood, Newbridge, Glenrothes and Irvine in Scotland, and Colwick, Wesley Street, Sunningdale and Whetstone in England, with associated collection and transport activities. They handle 800,000 tonnes of material a year, employ more than 600 people and run more than 150 vehicles, serving commercial, industrial and construction and demolition customers.

For Biffa, the deal expands its collection and processing network across England and Scotland, adds capacity in construction and demolition waste and increases the scale and efficiency of its commercial collections business. Until completion the businesses remain part of Enva, and both companies will work together on the transition for colleagues and customers.

Roger McDermott, chief executive of Enva, said “Biffa is a highly respected business with a strong track record of operational excellence and customer service,” and that completion will provide “a clear platform for further investment and growth across our continuing businesses.”

Michael Topham, chief executive of Biffa, said the acquisition “further expands our existing capability to recover and recycle materials the construction and demolition sector generates, as well as enhancing our commercial collections business.”

For the sector, the sale shows private equity-backed waste groups sharpening their portfolios, with scaled collectors absorbing general recycling operations and specialists reinvesting in higher-value streams.