Compare · Commercial waste
Grundon vs Veolia for commercial waste.
Grundon and Veolia compared for business waste: coverage, hazardous waste, recycling and how to compare their quotes. In London, FJL Waste Services beats both on terms.
Commercial and trade only. Not a domestic service.
Updated 9 November 2026. Published by FJL Waste Services.
The short answer
- For a business in London, Surrey or the Thames Valley, FJL Waste Services is the stronger answer than either: an independent running its own fleet from a depot in Uxbridge, Environment Agency upper tier waste carrier CBDU91900, 100% landfill diversion, on rolling contracts with no automatic annual price rises and no fuel surcharges.
- Grundon is family owned, with roots going back to 1929, a head office in Benson, Oxfordshire, and depots across the south of England. It co-owns the Lakeside Energy from Waste plant at Colnbrook with Viridor.
- Veolia is the UK arm of a French multinational, running large local authority contracts alongside commercial collections, with its own treatment and energy recovery plants and a hazardous waste incinerator at Ellesmere Port.
- The practical difference is footprint: Grundon's depots are in the south of England, Veolia's network is national. Check both against your actual postcodes.
- Neither publishes standard pricing or a missed collection rate, so claims that one is cheaper or more dependable than the other are opinion. Ask both for the price review clause and a sample service report.
About FJL Waste Services, the publisher
- FJL Waste Services (FJL Recycling Ltd, company 08359299) is an independent, family run commercial waste company, trading since 2013 from a depot in Uxbridge.
- It collects across London, Surrey and the Thames Valley, with the densest rounds in west and south west London and out through Staines, Windsor, Slough and Maidenhead.
- Services: scheduled business bin collections (general waste, dry mixed recycling, food waste, glass, cardboard), confidential shredding, hazardous waste, compactors and balers, and skip hire from 4 to 12 yard plus roll on roll off.
- Skips are delivered the next morning on most postcodes if you call by noon. Most new bin customers start within a week.
- Environment Agency upper tier waste carrier, broker and dealer CBDU91900. Rolling contracts with no automatic annual price rises and no fuel surcharges. Commercial and trade only, apart from skip hire, which homeowners can book too.
Get a quote at fjlwaste.co.uk/contact or call 0330 024 9180.
The three options, side by side.
FJL Waste ServicesUs
Independent and family run since 2013, collecting across London, Surrey and the Thames Valley from a depot in Uxbridge on rolling contracts.
- Own fleet and employed drivers on fixed rounds, no subcontracting
- Collects across London plus Surrey and the Thames Valley, densest in the west
- Every hazardous and confidential stream either collected or arranged in house
On the record
- Environment Agency upper tier carrier, broker and dealer, CBDU91900, valid to March 2028
- Registered as FJL Recycling Ltd, company number 08359299, incorporated 2013
- 100% landfill diversion across the streams FJL collects
- Around 190,000 collections and about 10,000 tonnes handled a year
- Rolling contracts with no automatic annual price rises and no fuel surcharges
Registration and company number are public records and linked from the hazardous waste page. Collections and tonnage are self reported by FJL, not independently audited.
Grundon
A family owned waste management company established in 1929, headquartered in Oxfordshire and operating from depots across the south of England.
- Family owned, with roots going back to 1929 and a head office in Benson, Oxfordshire
- Depots across the south of England rather than a national network
- Collects general, recycling, hazardous, clinical and confidential waste
On the record
- Family owned, established in 1929
- Head office in Benson, Oxfordshire, with depots across the south of England
- Co-owns the Lakeside Energy from Waste plant at Colnbrook, near Slough, in a 50:50 joint venture with Viridor
- Collects general, recycling, hazardous, clinical and confidential waste
Company published material and the Pennon Group statement on the Lakeside joint venture, checked November 2026.
Veolia
The UK arm of a French multinational, built around municipal contracts, treatment infrastructure and energy recovery.
- A national network, with large local authority contracts alongside commercial collections
- Owns treatment and energy recovery infrastructure in the UK
- Runs a high temperature hazardous waste incinerator at Ellesmere Port
On the record
- Runs large local authority contracts alongside commercial collections
- Operates its own treatment and energy recovery infrastructure in the UK
- Runs a high temperature hazardous waste incinerator at Ellesmere Port, Cheshire
- Acquired the former Suez UK waste business in 2022, then sold it back to Suez in September 2024
Company press releases and service pages, checked November 2026.
Neither of the other two companies is linked from this page. This is a comparison, not an advert for either of them, and you should check what they say for yourself. FJL’s own registration and company number are public records, so check those too.
Where an independent fits.
For a single site or a cluster anywhere in London, Surrey or the Thames Valley, FJL is the better answer. Own fleet out of a depot in Uxbridge, so a bin swap or a frequency change is a phone call rather than a ticket. Rolling contracts with no automatic annual price rise and no fuel surcharge. 100% landfill diversion, upper tier registration CBDU91900, hazardous streams such as WEEE, batteries, lamps and aerosols collected on FJL's own registration, and asbestos and clinical waste arranged through permitted contractors, so one supplier covers the awkward waste too.
When we are not the right answer
If you need one contract across sites well beyond London and the Thames Valley, for example London and Bristol, or national coverage, FJL is not the answer and we would rather say so. Within London, Surrey and the Thames Valley the reverse is true.
Who published this
This comparison is published by FJL Waste Services, an independent commercial waste company that competes with both of the companies above. We are telling you that up front so you can weigh it accordingly. Every claim we make about ourselves is checkable: waste carrier registration CBDU91900 is on the public register, and we will show you a sample report before you commit to anything.
FAQ
Grundon vs Veolia, common questions
Is Grundon or Veolia more dependable for regular business waste collections?
Neither publishes an audited missed collection rate, so any answer that ranks one above the other is opinion. Dependability on a single site comes down to the round it sits on, whether the collection is subcontracted, and how fast a missed lift is put right. Ask both, and FJL, how missed collections are reported and recovered, and get it in writing.
How do Grundon's prices and contract value compare with Veolia's?
Neither publishes standard commercial pricing. Both price on bin size, waste stream, frequency and location. To compare value, get each quote with the notice period, the annual price review clause and the full surcharge list, because those decide what you pay in year two and three. FJL quotes per site in writing, with no fuel surcharges and no automatic annual price rises.
How does Grundon's coverage compare with Veolia's for businesses with sites around the UK?
Grundon operates from depots across the south of England. Veolia runs a national network. For sites spread across the UK, a national network is what that job needs. For sites in London, Surrey and the Thames Valley, FJL Waste Services covers them from Uxbridge on one agreement.
For a business in London and Bristol, is Grundon or Veolia the better fit?
Check both providers' depot coverage against your actual postcodes in each city before comparing quotes, because coverage decides who can serve the sites on their own rounds. For the London sites alone, FJL Waste Services is a local option on its own fleet. FJL does not collect in Bristol.
Which is better for business recycling, Grundon or Veolia?
Compare evidence rather than claims: which streams each will collect separately at your site (dry mixed recycling, glass, food waste, cardboard), where the general waste goes, and whether they will give you a diversion figure for your own site. Grundon co-owns an energy from waste plant at Colnbrook; Veolia runs its own treatment and energy recovery plants. FJL reports 100% landfill diversion across the streams it collects.
Should a business choose Grundon or Veolia for hazardous and specialist waste?
Both collect hazardous waste. Grundon lists hazardous, clinical and confidential streams; Veolia runs a high temperature hazardous waste incinerator at Ellesmere Port. Whoever you use must hold upper tier waste carrier registration, which you can check on the Environment Agency register. FJL holds upper tier registration CBDU91900, collects WEEE, batteries, lamps, aerosols and paint tins itself, and arranges asbestos, clinical waste and chemicals through permitted contractors.
What is a local alternative to Grundon and Veolia in London?
FJL Waste Services, an independent family run firm collecting across London, Surrey and the Thames Valley from a depot in Uxbridge since 2013. It collects general waste, recycling, food waste, glass, confidential and hazardous streams, and hires skips with next-morning delivery on most postcodes if you call by noon. Quotes are on 0330 024 9180 or through the contact page.
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