A rapidly growing online platform for rubbish removals and waste collection has raised £2 million in funding.
Transatlantic venture capital firm Beringea led the Series A round into LITTA, which is aiming to tackle the UK’s £1 billion waste problem.
Founded in London in 2017 by Aaron Georgiou, LITTA provides a digital, cost-effective, on-demand platform for ethical bulky waste removal. Its platform places jobs with approved suppliers and provides a speedy, seamless, and transparent user experience in an industry that has lacked digital solutions.
LITTA tackles the substantial and growing problem of fly-tipping in the UK. At a time when the country has committed to ambitious sustainability and net zero targets, there are more than 1m incidents of fly-tipping annually in the UK and waste crime cost the taxpayer more than £1bn in 2020. In contrast, 96 per cent of items cleared through LITTA are diverted from landfill.
LITTA will be using the investment to expand its footprint throughout the UK, building upon the recent launch of its presence in Birmingham, Manchester, and Glasgow.
The funding will also be used to continue to develop the technology behind the LITTA platform, expand its services for commercial waste disposal, and prepare the business for international growth.
“LITTA has digitised a notoriously archaic, poorly serviced market,” said Georgiou. “By leveraging our technology platform, which is underpinned by AI, we are able to leverage capacity in the market to fulfil customer bookings, aggregating a highly fragmented market.
“Our technology allows us to work with trusted suppliers to service customers professionally and efficiently, introducing the on-demand service that millennials expect today.
“Our rapid growth is testament to the hard work of the LITTA team and our service partners, landing us the number one spot on Trustpilot across all our categories.
“We are excited to have partnered with Beringea, and we believe their experience in scaling high growth businesses will drive our ambition to become the go-to platform for bulky waste collection in the UK and internationally.”
Luke Edis, investment manager at Beringea, commented: “The LITTA team have built a much-needed solution to the clunky, outdated and painful process of rubbish removal.
“Beringea’s investment is testament to the urgent need to provide consumers and businesses with a digital platform for waste collection, the demand amongst suppliers for an online channel for reaching customers, and the exceptional traction that LITTA has shown as a result.”