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Biffa comparison

Biffa comparison: Capital Recycle vs Biffa for commercial waste in London

Biffa comparison: Capital Recycle vs Biffa on what a business asks before it signs: where they collect, what containers they supply, how the charges are structured, how fast they start, what the published terms say, and who issues the paperwork. Every statement about Biffa is taken from its own published pages and dated. We are the other company on this page, so weigh what we say accordingly.
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Who this comparison is for

A business in London with one site, or a handful, that puts out pre-paid sacks or runs one to four wheelie bins. If you have sites across the country, or skips and compactors, Biffa's scale answers that better than we can.

The two companies

Biffa has operated in the UK since 1912 and has been owned by Energy Capital Partners since January 2023. It states 100,000+ business customers nationwide, 328 operational locations and 11,000+ employees, and lists ISO 9001, 14001, 27001 and 45001, CHAS, SafeContractor and Carbon Saver Gold. In London it publishes coverage of the 32 boroughs, with electric vehicles on central London rounds, and an online account it describes as available 24/7. Its own pages: biffa.co.uk (nofollow).
Capital Recycle Ltd is a London commercial waste collector with 250+ active customers, rated ★4.8 on Trustpilot. We collect sacks and bins across central London and the WD postcodes on our caged tippers, start within 24 to 48 hours from sack stock we hold ourselves, and issue the annual Waste Transfer Note for every stream we collect. Upper Tier waste carrier CBDU466346. £5m public liability.

Biffa features and services, side by side

Capital RecycleBiffa (as published, read 2 Nov 2026)
London coverageCentral London and the WD postcodes; collection frequency agreed per siteThe 32 boroughs; collection days shown to existing customers inside the myBiffa portal
SacksPre-paid general waste and mixed recycling sacks, priced per sack by weekly volume; delivered from stock we hold100 litre general waste and mixed recycling sacks, 85 litre food sacks, maximum 5 kg per sack, supplied in rolls of 50
Bins240, 360, 660 and 1100 litre; one fixed monthly figure per bin, no rental line, no environmental levy, no fuel surcharge240, 660 and 1100 litre general waste and mixed recycling; 10 and 23 litre food caddies, 140 and 240 litre food bins; 140 and 240 litre glass bins
How pricing is structuredSacks per sack by volume; bins one monthly figure per bin; the agreement shows every line before you signQuote-led; additional collections charged at the current per-lift rate
How to startPhone or form; service starts within 24 to 48 hours; sacks from our own stock, bins on the agreed start dateQuote and purchase online "in as little as 10 minutes"; bins arrive "shortly"; sack reorders through myBiffa
Term and notice12-month agreement that renews unless you give 60 days' notice before the renewal date, or a rolling monthly option at a higher rate that you can end any month. The agreement is sent before you commitMinimum term, notice period and exit terms for a London sack or bin customer are not published on its site; ask for them in writing before you sign
Waste Transfer NoteAnnual WTN Service, £65 + VAT per stream, issued and renewed by usNot described on the sack or bin pages
Published service figures98% of what we collect is diverted from landfill (a disposal measure, not a collection measure)"98% collection rate" (its measure of collections made)
CertificationsUpper Tier carrier CBDU466346; £5m public liabilityISO 9001, 14001, 27001, 45001; CHAS; SafeContractor; Carbon Saver Gold
Missed collectionCall 0207 101 4003 and speak to the person who runs the roundCheck myBiffa for status, then customer support on 0800 601 601; it says it will recover the collection "as soon as possible"
Changing a bin or a frequencyLike-for-like bin swap on 24 hours' notice, no crossover periodThrough myBiffa or customer support, per its FAQ
Public reviewsTrustpilot ★4.8Trustpilot, linked in the sources

Choose Biffa if

  • You have sites across the UK and want one supplier, one invoice and one portal for all of them.
  • You need skips, compactors, or heavy and industrial streams alongside your bins.
  • You want to buy a standard service online without speaking to anyone.
  • Your procurement asks for ISO 27001 or Carbon Saver Gold by name.

Choose Capital Recycle if

If you want a collection that turns up on the day it is booked, and a team you can reach when something needs sorting, choose Capital Recycle.
  • You want a missed or late collection sorted by a person who can act: a call to 0207 101 4003 reaches the person who runs your round, not a ticket queue or a call centre that cannot contact the driver.
  • You want the collection record to match what happened at the kerb: if a lift is missed, you hear it from us and it is rebooked, and the fixed monthly figure means there is no per-lift line on the invoice to dispute.
  • You have one London site, or a few, with sacks or one to four bins.
  • You want to start this week, with the containers actually on site: sacks from our own stock within 24 to 48 hours, bins delivered on the agreed start date, and a damaged bin swapped like for like on 24 hours' notice.
  • You want the bin price to be the whole price: one fixed monthly figure, no rental line, no levy, no fuel surcharge, so there is no lift count on the invoice to argue over.
  • You want the notice terms in front of you before you sign, not discovered on the way out: 12 months, 60 days' notice before the renewal date, and a reminder from us 90 days before it.
  • You want us to issue and renew the Waste Transfer Note, so the paperwork a landlord or auditor asks for is already there.

How switching works

  1. Check the notice window on your current agreement first. The window, not the new supplier, decides when you can move.
  2. Tell us your postcode, the containers you use and your weekly volume. We confirm a start date within 24 to 48 hours.
  3. We deliver sacks or bins on the agreed date. If you are moving from bins, the new bins go in as the old ones go out; there is no period with two sets on site.
  4. We issue the Waste Transfer Note for each stream at the start, then renew it annually.
The full checklist is in our guide: How to switch commercial waste provider.

Common questions

What are Biffa's notice terms?

Not published on its site for a London sack or bin customer, as read on 2 November 2026. Ask for the agreement in writing and read the term, renewal and notice clauses before you sign, with any supplier.

Sacks or bins?

Sacks suit a site with no storage and a small daily volume. Bins suit a site with a bin store and steady volume. Our guide on bags or bins for commercial waste covers the trade-offs.

How much waste do I need to produce?

Sacks are priced per sack by your weekly volume; bins are priced per bin by size and how often it is emptied. Tell us the volume and we quote the same day.

Do you cover my postcode?

Central London and the WD postcodes. Call 0207 101 4003 with your postcode and we will tell you straight away.

How long is your agreement?

12 months as standard, renewing unless you give 60 days' notice before the renewal date, or rolling monthly at a higher rate. You see the agreement before you sign.

Who do I call if a collection is missed?

0207 101 4003. You speak to the person who runs the round.

Who published this

Capital Recycle Ltd wrote this page. We compete with Biffa for sack and bin customers in London, so read it as one competitor writing about another. We are an agile, independent London collector with our own caged tippers and our own sack stock. Everything we say about Biffa comes from its own published pages, listed below with the date we read them, and we have not quoted any Biffa price. Our carrier registration CBDU466346 is on the public register, so check us as well.
Facts checked 2 November 2026.

Sources