Remediation activities and other waste management services (SIC division 39)
Division 39 of the UK SIC 2007 list. It holds 1 code, listed in full below with the number of active UK companies filed under each.
What sits in division 39
Division 39 is the smallest waste division. It has one UK code, 39000, for remediation and other waste management services. Companies here clean up contaminated land and buildings. The work includes brownfield soil remediation, asbestos removal, decontamination, invasive weed treatment such as Japanese knotweed, and spill response. The public record mixes real remediation contractors with environmental services firms who picked this code because nothing else fit. Most of the work is project-based. It follows construction, demolition and property deals.
Remediation feeds straight into development, so the construction supply chain does most of the selling. Groundworks contractors look for specialist partners. Demolition firms and developers commission site investigations. Plant hire companies supply excavators and screening kit. Environmental insurance and surety providers target the unusual liability profile. New incorporations often follow a regulatory push, such as tighter asbestos or contaminated land enforcement. A young firm here needs accreditations, insurance and tender support before it can win work. Growth at an older firm usually means the local development market is strong.
How to read a division 39 code
A UK SIC code is five digits and division 39 is the first two of them. Everything filed under 39 shares those digits: the one code below begin 39, then the third digit narrows to a group, the fourth to a class and the fifth to the subclass a company actually picks. Division 39 sits inside section E, water supply, sewerage and waste management, which is the broadest tier of the classification. So a code is read left to right, from an industry down to a specific activity.
More on how division 39 codes are built
Companies choose their own codes at incorporation and can change them on any confirmation statement, and Companies House does not check the answer. A company may list up to four. That is worth knowing before you treat any division total as a headcount: the numbers here are what companies said about themselves, on the August 2026 register, and the largest single code in this division is 39000, remediation activities and other waste management services.
Every SIC code in division 39
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Division 39 questions
Which SIC code should an asbestos removal company use?
39000 is the usual choice, because asbestos removal is a decontamination activity. Some firms register a specialised construction code from division 43 instead, since the work happens on building sites. Both readings are defensible. The licence that really matters comes from the Health and Safety Executive, and it has nothing to do with your SIC code. Listing 39000 next to a construction code covers both views of the business.
Can a groundworks contractor add 39000 to reflect remediation work?
Yes, and many do. A company can hold up to four SIC codes from any divisions. Pairing a division 43 groundworks code with 39000 describes a contractor who handles contaminated soil during enabling works. Add the code on your next confirmation statement. There is no approval process, and the change appears on the public record once the statement is filed.
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