Our communities

Recently we welcomed Nitin Santosh, a student from the University of Liverpool, for a work experience placement across several Grundon sites.

During his time at Grundon, Nitin spent time with multiple teams, across different sites, gaining insights into our operations, sustainability initiatives and project delivery processes.

His visit began with the Sustainability team where he joined our Risk & Sustainability Director, Toni Robinson, Head of Environment & Sustainability, James Gilbert and Sustainability Managers, Alex Grant and Saioa Barragan, learning about the systems we use to monitor and collect our energy usage and why.

Following this, Nitin spent time at Grundon’s Colnbrook depot, near Heathrow Airport, where he was given exposure to customer interactions and day to day operational activity from members of the Commercial team.

Later in the week, Nitin worked closely with our Project Manager (Sustainability) Richard Yu and Head of Projects, Engineering and Design, Ed Fagan, learning more about our internal sustainability goals and the processes we have in place to ensure we achieve these.

Reflecting on his week at Grundon, Nitin said:

“I was most excited to learn about Grundon’s renewable energy initiatives and how sustainability is embedded in projects, and in the company’s long term vision. It was inspiring to see that many employees have worked at Grundon for decades, reflecting the strong work culture, trust, and commitment within the company.

Grundon truly has a truly family atmosphere, where everyone is highly supportive of one another. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and am deeply appreciative of the support I received.”

We look forward to continuing our engagement with Nitin through further remote work experience opportunities.

In 2024, we provided a donation to Ewelme Primary School to help fund their Forest School sessions.

They recently got in touch to tell us how our donation has helped and how the sessions are going.

Stephanie Pereira, Friends of Ewelme School member, said:

“The incredible donations from Grundon allow this brilliant facility to run, and the children adore it, and learn so much.

“I can’t express how much this is appreciated, by each and every one of the children at Ewelme Primary School, the teachers, and of course all of the parents too!

“The children get to spend time in the natural environment, experiencing many different activities linked to the seasons, and their curriculum. No two sessions are the same!”

Recent Forest School sessions provided pupils with valuable opportunities for hands-on learning in a natural setting. The pupils embraced a wide range of outdoor activities including, supervised fire lighting, cooking over the campfire, den building and nature exploration.

Staff highlighted the high levels of engagement, as the children worked well as a team as they took on new challenges. The sessions demonstrated how outdoor learning can inspire confidence, and with it a strong sense of accomplishment among pupils.

Here is what a few of the students said about their time at the Forest School:

“I love Forest School because it is really really fun, and the teachers are very very nice and they always have nice things and it’s the best!” (Year 3 pupil)

“Forest School is a lovely environment where everyone has fun. It has multiple activities, all of which are very exciting!” (Year 5 pupil)

“I really love it because when we do the wormery I love seeing the patterns where the worms have been” (Year 2 pupil)

Grundon has strengthened its bond with volunteers at the Shedquarters project at Peppard Common, near Reading, after a plea for help from organisers.

The group has been busy throughout the summer building new storage at its headquarters and was in desperate need of help to remove waste and building materials that had accumulated.

Roger P, one of the Shedquarters team, reached out and Grundon kindly provided a skip free-of-charge as part of its support for the project. Once collected, all the items were sent for recycling or reprocessing.

Roger said: “We are incredibly grateful to Grundon for helping us out. The difference the skip has made is brilliant and we now have a clear outside area which will soon be made safe for easy walking and new to our storage space.

“We are delighted to say Shedquarters is going from strength-to-strength and our members have recently been busy using their skills on projects including rebuilding garden benches, turning wooden pens and bowls, producing bird seed triangles, and wooden jewellery display stands, all of which we sell to raise funds.”

Before and after photos show the improvements made after Grundon donated a skip to help clear the outside space adjacent to the new Shedquarters extension.

Earlier this year, Grundon donated £15,000, via the Landfill Communities Fund, to help Shedquarters purchase two portable offices and convert them into a ‘Men’s Shed’. The project, which is designed to reduce loneliness and isolation amongst the older generation is open five days a week and provides the opportunity for individuals – mainly men – to gain new skills, share their expertise with others and make friends in a welcoming environment. Read more about this here: https://www.grundon.com/making-a-positive-contribution-to-reducing-loneliness/ 

In the lead up to this festive season, we teamed up with The Felix Project and hosted a company-wide donation drive. Colleagues from across the business came together, contributing a wide range of essential items to support families in need.

For many of us, toiletries and household products are just a part of our day-to-day routine but for some families, these basic necessities can be difficult to access.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our colleagues, we donated over 200 items, including shower gel, sanitary products, nappies and household cleaning products. The donations were collected by two organisations who support 13,000 individuals including families, the elderly, people experiencing homelessness, refugees and asylum seekers.

Thank you to our colleagues and The Felix Project for helping make a difference this festive season.

Watch the video below to see how it went!

We recently welcomed two year 10 students, Max and Tony, from Uxbridge High School to complete a week of work experience. Throughout the week they visited our facilities at Colnbrook spending time with teams to gain first-hand experience and understanding of day-to-day operations across a wide range of departments. They also spent time at our head office in Benson to understand how various departments support the wider business. Throughout the week they spoke with chemists, workshop technicians, waste facility operatives, administrators, contract managers, engineers and more.

A highlight of their experience was a visit to one of our major client sites: Heathrow Airport. During this visit, Max and Tony were able to see the scale and complexity of waste management within Europe’s busiest airport. They observed how our team undertakes  collections, ensuring compliance with strict airport regulations, managing the movement and processing of waste across a large and highly secure operational environment.

Witnessing these real-time logistics gave them a unique appreciation for how our services support critical infrastructure and the importance of efficient, safe, and sustainable waste handling in such a high-pressure setting. This exposure provided invaluable insight into our external operations and deepened their understanding of both our industry and the diverse customers we support.

If you know someone interested in joining Grundon for work experience, get in touch: work.experience@grundon.com

Grundon proudly committed to donating £25 to the Movember Foundation for every employee who completed the ‘Grow a Mo’ challenge.

With 24 team members getting involved, we’re thrilled to have contributed £600 to support this fantastic cause.

But Movember is about much more than just growing a moustache – it’s about raising awareness for men’s health issues, including mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

We encourage everyone to keep these important conversations going throughout Movember and beyond, ensuring no one ever feels they have to face their challenges alone.

When Fareshare South West posted on social media seeking help, a group of six Grundon colleagues stepped up last minute to support the Winter Parcel Project.

Nick Malvern, Harry Crockett, Julia Wronska, Kirstine Mantaja, Callum Jones and Sam Harrison spent the day packing food and activity parcels for families and children in Bristol and Bath.

These parcels offer vital support to families whose children receive free school meals during term time, helping to bridge the gap over the winter break.

Although the original plan called for a team of twelve to prepare 125 food parcels in the day, our group of six not only met the target but exceeded it, packing over 130 parcels. A fantastic team effort from Grundon!

As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting the local community, a team of volunteers at Grundon recently spent the day helping to restore a section of the Historic Ridgeway in Wallingford, Oxfordshire to assist the conservation of Grims Ditch.

The team tackled the project in stages, clearing 10 metre sections at a time to effectively open the path and protect the bank. Overgrown trees, shrubs and dense greenery were cut back to open this up whilst larger, mature trees were preserved to ensure local wildlife could continue to move freely through the area.

As the day went on, the transformation became clear. Stretches of the path were cleared and by the end of the day it was easy to see how much progress had been made.

Watch the video below to hear from the volunteers and see the difference their hard work made.

Grundon colleagues Harry, Sam, Meg, Alice and Annie spent the day volunteering with The Felix Project at Laurel Tree Farm, East Sussex. See what they got up to below.

Joining other volunteers, including our customer KERB, the group rolled up their sleeves to help harvest surplus apples, which were headed for communities across London. Thanks to their collective effort, an incredible 2,100 kilograms of apples – just over two tonnes – were picked in a single day. The harvest included a mix of Bramley, Red Windsor, and Braeburn.

Within just 48 hours, the apples had been delivered to schools and community projects across the city. Any apples that weren’t deemed suitable for eating, such as those with light bruising, were pressed and turned into Felix Project Apple Juice, ensuring nothing went to waste.

The Felix Project is London’s largest food redistribution charity. They rescue high-quality surplus food that might otherwise go to waste and deliver it to more than 1,200 community organisations across the capital.

Since March 2025, Lennard, a student from Activate College in Oxfordshire, has been completing weekly work experience with Grundon. The aim of this placement has been to provide Lennard with practical experience in an office environment, helping him develop key workplace skills.

Earlier this year Grundon were approached at a careers fair, to see if we could offer Lennard, who has special educational needs, a work experience opportunity. While we didn’t have a suitable opportunity available at the time, a project soon arose in our HR department, involving digitalising paper employee files. We got in touch to see if Lennard would be interested in supporting the team with this project and we were delighted when he accepted.

To help Lennard settle in, a work coach accompanied him during his first two days, to ensure he felt comfortable and understood the role. He has since been working closely with Anna Barnes-Gray, HR Administrator, who has supported him throughout his time at Grundon.

Although, Lennard wasn’t specifically looking to work in HR, his college believed the project would suit his strengths, and it has proven to be a great match.

Over the months, we’ve seen Lennard’s confidence and skills grow significantly. He has developed greater independence, demonstrated strong timekeeping and attention to detail and made clear progress in listening, teamwork and organisation.

Lennard has enjoyed the experience so much that he put in a request to his college to continue at Grundon as part of his supported internship – which we were more than happy to agree to.

Reflecting on Lennard’s journey with us so far, Anna Barnes-Gray said –

“Lennard is a brilliant addition to the team and he provides a completely different perspective on our day to day ways of working and communicating which has been really valuable for us.

“His confidence has grown massively since starting – he now works independently, is confident asking questions when he’s not sure on something and is more eager to engage in conversation with his colleagues meaning his workplace relationships have become much stronger.

“We really look forward to Lennard coming in each week, it’s a pleasure to support him and we are so pleased he’s decided to complete his supported internship here.”

We’re excited to share a new video featuring Harry Crockett, Social Value Coordinator, filmed during a recent volunteering day at Weston-Super-Mare beach alongside Forest Green Rovers (FGR) and its young ambassadors.

Watch the video below to see the beach clean in action, hear first-hand from Harry and volunteers, and find out just how much litter was removed from the beach.

The day began with a warm welcome and introductions between volunteers from Grundon and FGR. Following a safety briefing, the group were equipped with gloves, litter pickers, bags and buckets, before dividing into smaller teams to cover different sections of the beach.

It didn’t take long to see the impact – within just an hour, bags and buckets were brimming with bottles, cans, MDF wood, microplastics, and more. The teams worked tirelessly, and by the end of the session, a significant amount of litter had been cleared.

Following the beach clean, Harry delivered an interactive workshop for the FGR ambassadors, exploring what happens to waste after it’s been discarded and answering their many questions about recycling and sustainability.

Once the day wrapped up, the collected litter was taken back to FGR’s stadium before being collected by Grundon vehicles. All recyclables were transported to our Materials Recovery Facility at Bishop’s Cleeve for reprocessing, while the non-recyclables were taken to an Energy from Waste facility and turned into energy for homes and businesses.

Grundon has proudly been FGR’s Sustainability Partner since 2012 and has supported its Ambassador Scheme since it first launched in 2015.

A £26,000 grant from Grundon, via the Landfill Communities Fund, has provided valuable support for a wildlife wetland sanctuary at Cassiobury Park Nature Reserve in Watford.

The project, which is helping boost biodiversity and protect local habitats, has seen the restoration of both the town’s old watercress beds and a linear wetland area fed by the River Gade, together with the expansion of a wildlife pond and a new bridge to improve access.

The restoration work, which included digging out the silt from the dried-up cress beds, whilst preserving the historic bed structures and opening feeder channels, as well as increasing the size of the wildlife pond tenfold, was carried out by Watford Borough Council alongside partners and volunteers.

Once the wetlands have fully matured, the area will become a valuable habitat complete with reeds, ponds and scrapes, and it will also preserve the flood plain functionality of the watercress bed area. Tree planting and a wildflower meadow will complement the wetland features and together create a range of habitats that boosts local biodiversity.

This will help the area become an excellent space for birds, like snipe and green sandpiper and for insects and crustaceans, such as freshwater shrimp, and provide a large and relatively accessible site for observing and learning about nature.

Read the full story here: Grundon’s boost for wildlife wetland sanctuary – Grundon

Bury Grounds, the 4.2 hectare green space in the heart of Rickmansworth, once formed part of the grounds of Bury House, but in recent years had become overgrown and neglected.

Now, thanks in part to a £14,000 grant from Grundon via the Landfill Communities Fund, Three Rivers District Council is undertaking a major restoration programme so the site can be enjoyed by local residents and wildlife.

The Bury Grounds Biodiversity Project aims to restore and protect the natural habitat while creating a safe and accessible space and, at the same time, breathe new life into Taylor’s Cut, the loop of river that runs through the area into the River Colne, a chalk stream that is recognised as a globally rare habitat.

“I have enjoyed walking and running through the Bury Grounds for many years and it is looking the best it has done in decades.” Cllr Chris Lloyd said

As part of the funding, new Grundon-funded interpretation boards will also be installed at the site, giving visitors an insight into the type of wildlife and birds they are likely to see during their walk.

Read the full story here: Biodiversity project takes root with help from Grundon – Grundon

A project designed to reduce loneliness and isolation amongst the older generation is going from strength-to-strength, thanks to support from Grundon, who donated £15,000 towards the project via the Landfill Communities Fund.

Shedquarters, located at Peppard Common, near Reading, is open five days a week and provides the opportunity for individuals – mainly men – to gain new skills, share their expertise with others and build friendships in a welcoming environment.

From utilising their woodworking skills to make birdboxes, picnic benches and wooden planters, to learning about stained glass and clock repairing; the project was founded by local resident Sheila Maughan, from nearby Sonning Common.

Shelia explained that the idea came about after she noticed that there was nothing locally for retired men to do. She was keen to set up something for them and over time she got more people interested. Together they raised around £57,000 which was used to purchase two shipping containers. These containers were then converted into the ‘men’s sheds’ that have become Shedquarters.

“Grundon was our largest donor and we are very grateful to them for their support. We have about 38 regular attendees, as well as others who drop in from time-to-time and they tell us that the companionship Shedquarters offers is really important to them. It is an opportunity to get out of their four walls, to learn something new and share their skills with others.” said Shelia.

Read the full story here: https://www.grundon.com/making-a-positive-contribution-to-reducing-loneliness/

2024 saw the start of a new partnership and a new day release work experience and training programme for prisoners at HM Prison Ford, in West Sussex.

Under the Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) scheme, they work alongside employees at our facility at the nearby New Circular Technology Park in Ford.

The programme exemplifies our commitment to social responsibility and the positive impact of providing second chances to those seeking to rebuild their lives, and we are delighted to say we have since offered two permanent roles to ex-offenders.

We have also continued to expand our existing partnership with HM Prison Huntercombe in Oxfordshire, providing valuable hands-on training and mentoring experience, which not only enhances prisoners’ employability but also fosters a sense of responsibility and purpose.

Many participants have gone on to secure stable employment upon release and the partnership has not only benefitted the individuals involved but has also contributed to reducing re-offending rates and promoting community safety.

Between 9–13 June 2025, members of Grundon’s Transport Training and Sustainability teams visited local primary schools to deliver interactive workshops on road safety and recycling. Each session began with a short presentation introducing Grundon and highlighting the importance of staying safe around vehicles and recycling correctly.

Pupils then rotated through three hands-on activity stations:

• What goes where – Our Social Value Coordinator, Harry Crockett, guided pupils through what goes in which bin and how to identify recyclable materials. A standout item was the “inhaler puck” – a solid brick made from 570 crushed inhalers which helped highlight the recycling potential of unusual items.
• Keeping safe around HGVs – Our Senior Transport Trainer, Paul Colling, gave pupils a walkaround of one of Grundon’s electric waste-wheelers, pointing out key safety features, blind spots and demonstrating the bin lift in action.
• Looking at things from the driver’s perspective – Our Transport Trainers, Andy Muir and Keith Walford, gave pupils a look inside the vehicle cab explaining dashboard controls and showcasing our AI-powered Samsara camera system which was very popular. Although, unsurprisingly, the main highlight here was the chance to beep the horn!

These workshops are part of Grundon’s long-standing commitment to community engagement and social value, empowering the next generation with the knowledge to stay safe and make better choices for our planet.

See our workshop in action by watching the video below.

We’re always looking for ways to support our local communities. So, when a request came in from Lady Margaret Primary School in Southall, for some spare pallets, our team were more than happy to help.

The team at our Knowl Hill depot carefully selected around 20 wooden pallets and delivered them to the school, while completing another job in the area.

The school wasted no time in putting them to good use, transforming them into a mud kitchen for their outdoor play area.

Following the donation, the assistant headteacher of the school’s federation reached out to express their thanks, saying:

“The children have absolutely loved using them, and we’ve transformed them into a fantastic mud kitchen as part of our outdoor play area. Thank you for your generous donation!”

It’s wonderful to see how something as simple as wooden pallets can spark creativity and outdoor fun for children. As the old saying goes, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure!

At Grundon, we’re always looking for ways to give back to the communities we serve and this January, we did just that by swapping bin collections for Christmas tree collections in Gloucestershire.

In partnership with Sue Ryder, members of Sustainability and Transport teams took to the streets of Gloucestershire, gathering over 40 used Christmas trees. Once stripped of tinsel, lights and decorations, the trees were collected and sent to be recycled into wood chippings that will be put to good use in local parks and woodlands.

In the lead-up to the 2024 festive season, Grundon hosted a company-wide Christmas Toy Drive, inviting all colleagues to donate new or gently used toys for children and families in need via Northwick Park Hospital and Princess Alice Hospice.

Thanks to the incredible generosity of our employees, over 200 items were donated and delivered on Wednesday 4 December 2024.

The donations included a wide variety of gifts – from board games, puzzles, and craft sets to sensory toys, soft toys, and books. There were even gifts for parents – like hand creams and chocolates.

We are pleased to have been able to support children and families in need this Christmas, and particularly proud that our employees got so involved in contributing to the community. Beyond spreading festive cheer, our Christmas toy drive also helped reduce waste, by giving pre-loved items a meaningful second life.

Thank you to all of our colleagues for making this Christmas Toy Drive a success!

This year, Grundon proudly pledged to donate £25 to the Movember Foundation for every employee who took part in the ‘Grow a Mo’ challenge.

With 56 employees stepping up to the challenge, we’re delighted to have donated £1,400 for this incredible cause.

But Movember is about much more than just growing a moustache – it’s about raising awareness for men’s health issues, including mental health, suicide prevention, prostate cancer and testicular cancer.

While Movember may be over, our commitment to mental health is ongoing. At Grundon, we believe that every conversation matters. Whether its seeking support for yourself or offering a listening ear to a colleague, open communication plays a crucial role in maintaining wellbeing.

We encourage everyone to continue these vital conversations beyond Movember, so no one feels they have to face their challenges alone.

As part of Road Safety Week 2024, our Transport Training Team visited a primary school in Slough to deliver an engaging workshop designed to teach children how to stay safe on and around the roads.

Throughout the day, students from Year 1 and Year 6 participated in interactive stations, learning about:

• The driver’s perspective – what a driver can and cannot see when behind the wheel
• The various safety features and systems we have fitted to our vehicles including 7 cameras – one is even AI!
• How to stay safe as a pedestrian

In addition to road safety stations, the children had fun with a recycling sorting game and took home goodies to remember the day.

Organised by Brake, the UK’s biggest road safety charity, Road Safety Week highlights the importance of protecting everyone on the road.

Driven by our commitment to road safety, we recently organised a special Large Goods Vehicles (LGV) awareness training day for the Gwent & South Wales Forensic Collision Investigation Unit.

This event, held at our Bishop’s Cleeve depot, brought 13 officers together for a series of practical and informative sessions aimed at increasing their understanding of LGV operations, legislation and compliance. Our training covered key aspects of LGV safety, preparing the officers to identify potential issues with these vehicles on the road or in traffic collisions.

Officers gained practical experience by operating a 36-tonne rolonof vehicle, as well as instructional sessions on service records and incident tracking systems like Tachomaster and Samsara. Our activities provided the officers with essential knowledge on safety, compliance, and navigating on-road challenges, such as blind spots and spatial awareness.

This training day underscores our dedication to road safety and supports the officers’ crucial work in effectively investigating LGV-related road incidents.

We believe in reaching out into local communities and for us, that means working with HMP Huntercombe Prison, near our Oxfordshire HQ, to provide employment opportunities for prisoners under the Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) scheme.

We’re delighted to report that off the back of this scheme, we’ve now supported someone into full-time employment. This successful project is now set to be expanded to prisons across our operating area.

Creating opportunities We believe in reaching out into local communities and for us, that means working with HMP Huntercombe Prison, near our Oxfordshire HQ, to provide employment opportunities for prisoners under the Release on Temporary Licence (ROTL) scheme.
We’re delighted to report that off the back of this scheme, we’ve now supported someone into full-time employment. This successful project is now set to be expanded to prisons across our operating area.

Supporting local communities in and around our operations is our way of giving back, so when Windsor Lions asked us to support their free Prostate Cancer Screening Event, we happily made a donation.

Over 1,000 local men attended and for one, providing a simple blood sample led to an early diagnosis and subsequent successful removal of his cancerous prostate.

In total, almost 70 men who took part received vital follow-up investigations, highlighting the event’s role in men’s health awareness and emphasising the need for regular screenings.

A sunken trampoline, a pizza oven, a hot water system and a new accessible entrance ramp are just some of the benefits our £35,000 donation* has helped provide at The Lockleaze Youth and Play Space – known locally as The Vench in north Bristol.

This vital community centre is hugely popular with visitors.

*We worked with local environment and community charity Groundwork South to support this project via a grant from the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF)

Every year we support the waste stars of tomorrow by sponsoring the 35 Under 35 awards programme organised by Letsrecycle.com and part of the Future Talent Hub at the annual Resource & Waste Management Expo.

One such star in 2023 was Mark Garvey, CEO of Whitespace Work Software, who said:

“We’re focusing on the huge opportunities for automation in an industry that is largely driven by manual processes. If technology can improve the services provided, then everybody wins.”

The awards celebrate professional excellence, industry innovation and those who give back to their company or community – all great qualities that Grundon is proud to be associated with.

We’re keen supporters of CareersFest, an Oxfordshire careers fair organised by Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP) to help students aged 15+ look at their career choices and GCSE options.

Working alongside OxLEP, we’ve been evaluating our work experience offerings with an aim to enhance engagement with local schools to support children with informed career choices.

We might be biased, but we think a career in the waste industry offers plenty of exciting and fulfilling opportunities and we attend events every year to help get that message across.

Blooming in the heart of Banbury is Bridge Street Community Garden, part of Banbury Community Action Group, it is a sociable space where people can connect with nature.

Thanks to our grant* of over £13,000, the team built nine new raised planter beds, filling eight of them with pollinator-friendly shrubs and creating a wildlife pond in the other, making a real difference to the local natural environment.