General waste collection

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Your cost-effective solution for non-recyclable waste

We provide a reliable collection and disposal service for all waste that cannot be recycled. We guarantee 100% diversion from landfill, saving you money on Landfill Tax fees, whilst treating the waste at Energy from Waste facilities to create electricity.

100% diversion from landfill

Reduces your disposal costs

Tailored collection service

Helping you find a sustainable solution for waste which cannot be recycled

All businesses generate waste which cannot be recycled or reused. Typically, this is known as general waste, residual waste, or simply non-recyclable waste.

The most sustainable solution is to send general waste for treatment at Energy from Waste (EfW) facilities, where it is processed to generate renewable electricity for export to the National Grid. This allows organisations to help meet their environmental goals by guaranteeing 100% diversion from landfill and it also reduces disposal costs by avoiding rising Landfill Tax fees.

Tailored services and expert advice to meet your needs

Our teams are experts at helping you manage the safe, compliant and cost-effective disposal of all your residual waste and help you meet your corporate social responsibility and environmental targets too.

100% diversion from landfill

We send your general waste for disposal at Energy from Waste facilities, diverting it from landfill and helping meet green targets

Cutting the cost of waste disposal

Not sending waste to landfill is better for the environment – and you avoid incurring rising Landfill Tax fees too

Tailored collection service

We listen to what you want and tailor our collections around the needs of your business

The general waste collection service with thousands of satisfied customers

Understanding what can and can’t be recycled can be a challenge.

Many businesses produce waste which cannot currently be recycled – certain types of plastics, laminated packaging, food-contaminated containers – are just a few examples.

With years of experience, Grundon’s waste experts know exactly how to identify the best disposal solution for all types of waste. Their knowledge helps thousands of businesses separate their recyclable materials from their non-recyclable waste and guarantees a flexible and compliant collection service that saves money and provides a greener solution.

Why choose Grundon?

1.4 million general waste bins emptied each year

Every year Grundon empties 1.4 million general waste bins for thousands of businesses of all sizes and across all industry sectors

Environmentally friendly collections

Grundon has invested millions of pounds in its certified CarbonNeutral® fleet of waste collection vehicles, which also includes electric and hydrogen powered vehicles

Transforming waste into electricity

We take the non-recyclable general waste your business creates and use it to generate electricity to power local homes and businesses.

Who we work with

Our customer’s  points of view

“RecyclePlus solves that problem by offering a disposal route for all three products via one simple collection service. Not only will customers significantly increase their recycling rates, they will benefit by reducing the weight of their general waste collections and their waste data will be even more detailed, helping to both meet waste targets and shape future sustainability programmes.”

Stephen Hill

General Manager – Group Commercial Development at Grundon

“This is a great opportunity to expand the number of waste streams that we will now be able to recycle. It will make it so much easier to manage and we’re delighted to be taking another step forward along our sustainability journey.”

Lee Duddy

Property Manager, Television Centre

“Volunteering is something that KERB really encourages and, so working with a company like Grundon which also values the social impact and aligns its values with the work we do is really important to us.”

Priya Narain

Purpose and Impact Manager at KERB

“Grundon’s reporting enables us to gain information about what is going into the bins and then we can talk to our members and look at practical things we can do to improve.”

Hannah Walton

Senior Project Manager at KERB

“If this is the way forward, it is to be commended on every level, O.C.O has a fantastic team and a fantastic product and this was a brilliant experience. I am very proud that here in Norfolk we have such cutting-edge technology solutions.”

The Lady Dannatt, MBE

“Alongside an initial cost saving with Grundon we’ve seen our general, non-recyclable waste reduce by around a third in a year. We also have great visibility through a portal where I can see the reduction in tonnage month on month.”

Eddie Edge

Warehouse and Logistics manager at Spandex

“We are looking to make our school a leader in recycling and we were keen to partner with a company which could work with us to achieve that.”

Alex Paulton

Facilities Manager, St Katharine’s School

“We work very hard with all our tenants and teams to promote waste education and Grundon has played an important role in helping us get to this point. This result shows just how much our efforts are paying off and we look forward to even greater success in the future.”

Lee Duddy

Property Manager, 2TVC

“Grundon are a great help in providing the personal touch to their customers – us, in this case – and making us feel like we’re a valuable part of their business.”

Jules Sayer

Business Owner

“Although we’ve all been on this journey together, each of our journeys have been different and whenever there were hurdles in the road, we all supported each other in ways we probably didn’t even realise at the time. So, for me it’s just great that we’ve been able to ‘graduate’ together.”

Carla Hayden

Technical Transport Coordinator

“We believe Grundon will provide the insight and expert advice needed to enhance our recycling efforts and identify further improvements that support and reflect our worldwide conservation efforts, contributing to our mission of Saving Wildlife Together.”

Jonathan Timney

Director of Estates, Bristol Zoo

“It is estimated that Metered Dose Inhalers currently contribute to approximately 4% of the carbon footprint of the NHS, therefore it is vital that we ensure inhalers we dispense are disposed of in the most appropriate way, such as through recycling methods provided by Grundon Waste Management.”

Oliver Newman

Assistant Divisional Manager, Swansea Bay University Health Board

“Grundon have proven over the past three years to over deliver on services – they’re great at what they do and are ideal partners for us.”

Neil Priscott

Chief Operating Officer, Gloucestershire County Cricket Club

“The big thing to take away is to understand that data collection is really important and should be celebrated. The granular information we now have from Grundon – and our wider information around reducing carbon emissions – means we can present hard facts to our colleagues, providing the necessary impetus to effect change for the future. ”

Peter Watts

Rockvolt

“Without being able to measure our food waste we would never have known how much there was. We see this as a positive because it has given us a target for the future. ”

Keith Field

Head of Soft Services, Sodexo

“This was the first time we had tried to achieve net zero for a large enclosure and Grundon’s aspirations were far greater than ours. It was a real learning curve to see the results that could be achieved.”

Keith Field

Head of Soft Services, Sodexo

“With Grundon, we saw an organisation that wanted to work with us, to challenge us rather than just do what we wanted. They came up with solutions that enabled us to start pushing boundaries, they understood what could be achieved, and have continued to demonstrate new ways of working that exceeded our goals.”

Peter Watts

Rockvolt – a specialist consultancy for stadia, venues and events who work closely with Ascot Racecourse

“Having Grundon on board has given us more control of food waste from the restaurants and cafés, we can manage it more effectively and to the standards that need to be achieved.”

Jamie Denney

Sustainability champion and Site Centre Administrator, Rushden Lakes

“I’m pleased to say that we have made a real difference. Although it is early days, we are confident we can save more money as we get better at segregation, and of course, it is better for the environment too.”

Janka Penther

Restaurant Manager, The Cotswold Plough Hotel

“We have a significant number of outlets who serve coffee and other drinks in disposable paper cups so this move makes complete commercial sense for us and for our tenants. The opportunity to introduce paper cup recycling by Grundon means we divert the thousands of cups that would have ended up in general waste, into recycling and it really does tick all the boxes.”

Cyrus Annan

Centre Manager, London’s Bond Street Shopping Centre

“Introducing mixed recycling meant Xscape Milton Keynes not only exceeded its recycling targets, but also reduced general waste collections by 50% and the implementation programme was cost-neutral due to increased rebates from recycling materials. ”

Carl Meale

General Manager, Xscape Milton Keynes

“Grundon is giving us excellent support, both in practical terms and in helping to identify weaknesses and giving us and our tenants advice and awareness training.”

Kirsty Pollard

General Manager, Brighton Marina

“We weren’t just looking for a waste company that could save us money, we wanted someone who would work with us throughout the journey to improve our environmental credentials.”

Jamie Grierson

Back of House and Logistics Manager, The Grove, luxury 5 star hotel

“The expert guidance Grundon has given us over the years has been invaluable. With a venue like ours, it’s not just down to price, it’s about service as well and Grundon’s is second to none. We have never been let down and they have always been there for us.”

Lee Howkins

Venue Manager, Silverstone

“The one single word that defines how I feel about Grundon is confidence – I have every confidence in their ability to do a job and deliver whatever we may ask of them. That’s why we enjoy working with them so much.”

Alastair Williams

JLL Procurement Category Manager – Soft Services

“Grundon give advice and help solve any waste problems, the fact that they handle all of our waste streams means it is so much simpler for me to manage the contract.”

Steve Sellwood

Facilities Manager, Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust

“I was happy to leave the operation in Grundon’s hands and they were brilliant and took care of everything. Nothing was too much trouble and that allowed us to focus on the business itself. ”

Julien Abbott

Director of TAAB Laboratories Equipment, speaking after a devastating fire at its premises.

“For us, it’s about having the right partnerships and I find that Grundon always does the right thing in making sure we are compliant and giving expert advice rather than just trying to sell us something.”

Bryan Edwards

Professional & Services Warehouse Manager, BRITA UK

How it works

Setting up your waste collection couldn’t be any easier. Simply follow these steps today and we’ll provide you with a professional and reliable waste management service.

Tell us about your waste

Tell us about the types and quantities of waste your business generates or schedule a convenient time for one of our waste experts to carry out a free waste audit.

Get a quote

We’ll provide you with a proposal for a bespoke waste management service which is tailored to meet the exact needs of your business.

Schedule a collection

We’ll deliver your bins or containers, schedule your collections and start providing you with a first class waste management service – it’s that easy!

Get your instant quote

Get a quote

Using waste that cannot be recycled to generate renewable electricity

Once your waste has been collected, it is taken for treatment at an Energy from Waste (EfW) facility.

Grundon has its own facilities at Colnbrook, near Slough, meaning we are perfectly placed to service customers across London and the south east. Further afield, across our operating area, we work with other partners to utilise capacity at other similar facilities, ensuring we keep your carbon footprint to a minimum wherever possible.

Even our waste collection vehicles are certified CarbonNeutral^®, which means every time we collect from your premises, we’re not adding to your carbon footprint.

EfW facilities operate under strict Environment Agency controls. All the general waste is incinerated at high temperature and the heat produced is then used to power a steam turbine. This in turn generates electricity for export to the National Grid, helping to reduce reliance on fossil fuels to generate electricity for local homes and businesses.

Frequently asked questions

What is general waste?

Anything that can’t be recycled should go into a general waste bin. Everyday items will include baby and pet food pouches made out of mixed materials, bottles which have shrink-wrapped polymer sleeves, waxed paper, kitchen roll, and many things which contain different plastics or components. For example, children’s toys and domestic tools are often made of plastics which are difficult to separate into recoverable elements. Pringles tubes have a metal base, a plastic cap, a metal tear-off lid and are foil-lined, so they cannot be recycled.

Doesn’t incinerating waste cause pollution?

Energy from Waste (EfW) plants are highly-regulated and there are very strict emissions limits, which are monitored on a continuous basis by the Environment Agency. Emissions comply with the most stringent UK and European pollution control standards.

How do I save money by sending general waste with your collection service?

Sending your waste to EfW facilities rather than to landfill means you don’t have to pay the Landfill Tax which, with prices currently at £91.35 per tonne, soon add up. Choosing the EfW route can therefore be more cost-effective for you and your business.

How do I know what type of bins I need?

We match the bins and containers to your requirements, there’s no such thing as a ‘one size fits all’ approach. We’ll talk to you and identify the best solutions.

We can supply a range of containers from 240 litre wheeled bins through to larger containers, such as front end loader and rolonofs, as well as a range of static and mobile compactors.

What often works very well are bins which have separate slots for different types of waste, for example, general waste, mixed recycling and food waste. All the different sections are clearly marked to ensure everyone knows exactly which items go where and we can also help by providing employee training and clear signage.

How flexible is your collection service?

Flexibility is what we do best. We work on the volume of waste to be collected, we see little point in sending a weekly collection vehicle if bins are only full every fortnight. We’ll talk to you and your team and work out the type of collections that will suit you, whether it’s daily, weekly, fortnightly or monthly – or indeed more than that. We can also change collection days as we progress, so if you find you need more or less collections at certain times of year, just let us know.

Related services

Recycling

We collect paper, card, plastic and cans in one bin. It’s easy to use and cost effective.

Food Waste

Reduce the amount of food waste being sent to landfill and lower your waste disposal costs.

Glass Waste

Our mixed colour glass waste collection and recycling service is convenient, saving you time and money.

Coffee Cup Recycling

Your used cups are sent for specialist reprocessing where 100% of the cup is recycled and given new life.

Construction & Bulky Waste

Our service is ideal for disposing of concrete, wood, soils brick and block waste.

Industrial & Specialist Cleaning Services

We provide specialist Industrial Cleaning Services for working in sensitive and hazardous environments.

Confidential Waste

Our cost-effective collection and destruction service protects the reputations and identities of companies and individuals.

Clinical Waste

Our service provides collection, secure and traceable treatment and final disposal for the full range of healthcare wastes.

Hazardous Waste

We offer a total waste management collection, recycling and disposal service for all hazardous waste streams.