Mr Wakelin will be seen on the show going incognito at Biffa sites across the country, masquerading for one week as an unemployed worker who is seeking a job in the waste industry.
The long-running series gives those in charge of companies a chance to experience life working on the ground inside their organisation, gaining an insight into both good and not-so-good working practices.
Bosses spend one week undercover on the show, at the end of which they reveal their true identity to those they have been working with. Sometimes some of the employees who have been met by the boss are rewarded for their work or improved training and working conditions implemented.
Monday
The episode featuring Biffa and an undercover Ian Wakelin will be shown on Channel 4 on Monday July 29 at 9pm.
Mr Wakelin has had a long involvement in the waste sector and was appointed as UK chief executive of Biffa in August 2010, taking over from interim chief executive Mark Keough (see letsrecycle.com story).
He previously worked as finance director of American-owned UK Waste, which was acquired by Biffa for 380 million in June 2000. Mr Wakelin then became chief executive of Materials Recovery Ltd in 2001, which later became Greenstar UK and merged with Biffa in June 2010.
Viridor
Biffa will not be the first waste management firm to be featured on the Channel 4 show, after Viridor chief executive Colin Drummond went undercover in August 2010, exposing issues such as overfilled bins and the tough conditions faced by waste pickers (see letsrecycle.com story).
Speaking to letsrecycle.com at the time, Mr Drummond described the experience as a real eye opener both professionally and personally.
Mr Drummond was awarded an OBE in 2012.
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