Van Gansewinkel Groep

In January 2006, CVC Funds co-led the acquisition of waste management company AVR from the Rotterdam Municipality. In February 2007, AVR merged with collection company Van Gansewinkel, resulting in the formation of the largest Benelux waste management company, Van Gansewinkel Groep (‘VGG’).

The company today controls the full waste management chain from collecting household refuse to sorting, recycling and incineration of waste. VGG processes more than 12 million tonnes of waste each year, and is predominantly active in the Netherlands and Belgium but also has smaller positions in Poland, Czech Republic, France, UK and Portugal.

As a by-product of waste incineration, VGG generates around 1000 GWh per year of electricity of which it uses approximately 250 GWh, and supplies heat to city heating systems. The remainder is sold on the energy markets and provides the company with a solid natural ‘green’ energy pricing hedge. The company’s overall main focus is on waste reduction, recycling (raw material regeneration) and production of sustainable electricity through waste-to-energy incineration. Ultimately, the company’s focus is on waste reduction, recycling (raw material regeneration) and production of electricity, which contributes to reduction of overall waste and greater sustainability.