Biogen is one of the country’s leading operators of anaerobic digestion (AD) facilities, providing sustainable food waste recycling solutions for local authorities, retailers, hospitality businesses, food manufacturers and farmers across England, Scotland, Wales and the Channel Islands. Through its nationwide network of 19 AD plants, Biogen transforms food and organic waste into renewable green energy and nutrient‑rich biofertiliser delivering a closed‑loop solution that supports both carbon reduction and circular farming practices.

Each year, Biogen recycles nearly half a million tonnes of organic waste, generating reliable baseload renewable electricity and returning valuable nutrients to farmland. The company delivers a fully integrated service to local authorities, supermarkets, caterers, restaurants, pubs, hotels, offices and manufacturers, collecting and processing food waste that would otherwise go to landfill or incineration. With a broad geographic footprint, Biogen provides coverage across the UK, supported further by strategically located food waste transfer stations that reduce transport distances, cut carbon emissions and improve operational efficiency for customers.

Biogen is headquartered in Milton Ernest, Bedfordshire, and employs more than 170 people across the United Kingdom. Its AD facilities recycle over 650,000 tonnes of organic waste each year, generating renewable electricity and green gas that contribute to the decarbonisation of the UK energy system. The nutrientrich biofertiliser produced is applied to farmland, helping to grow new crops and close the loop on sustainable resource use. All Biogen operations are certified to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 14064 and ISO 45001 standards, demonstrating a strong commitment to quality, environmental performance, carbon reporting and safety.

Company History

Biogen’s journey began in 2005 when the business was formed with investment from the Bedfordia Group. The company set out to pioneer largescale food waste recycling through anaerobic digestion, commissioning its first AD plant at Twinwoods, Bedford, in 2006.
Growth accelerated in 2008 with the acquisition of Greenfinch Ltd, a leading AD engineering company. This was followed by the completion of Biogen’s second AD facility at Westwood, Rushden, between 2009 and 2010.

From 2011 to 2014, Biogen entered major partnerships with local authorities and opened new AD facilities in Bygrave, Baldock, Waen, St Asaph and GwyriAD, Caernarfon. A £24.4m investment from Kier Group during this period supported further rapid expansion.

By 2015, Biogen had become a UK market leader. Additional plants at Bryn Pica, Aberdare and Merevale, Atherstone were commissioned between 2015 and 2016.

The company was acquired by Ancala in 2017, providing a platform for strategic growth. In 2018, Biogen expanded further with the acquisition of five new AD facilities at Basingstoke, Halstead, Hoddesdon, Holbeach and Retford, followed by the Millerhill plant near Edinburgh.

In 2019, Biogen added the Weston-super-Mare facility, and in 2023 the company grew again with the purchase of five agricultural AD sites from the Ingenious Group. Today, Biogen operates 19 AD plants nationwide with a combined electrical capacity of up to 37 MWe, enough to power around 120,000 UK homes each year.