Waste management firm Grundon’s drive to use only electric waste collection vehicles on the streets of Bristol has put it in the running for a top industry award.
Grundon launched its first £300,000 trucks in Bristol and Berkshire in July and is planning to introduce another 15 across the UK – six of them within the next month. 
Grundon chairman Neil Grundon, pictured with its first electric vehicle (EV), said the firm had chose Bristol to launch its first electric collection vehicle as the city is at the forefront of wanting to operate more sustainably.
Its commitment has now resulted in the firm being shortlisted in the Private Sector Commercial Fleet of the Year category in the annual GreenFleet Awards.
Held on December 7, the award will celebrate the work being done by fleet operators and manufacturers as they strive to deliver net zero operations.
Grundon is the only waste company to have made the shortlist. It will line up alongside organisations such as The Royal Mail, delivery firm Evri and Riverford Organic Farmers – with the judges looking to reward the organisation that can best illustrate CO2-reduction through the adoption of zero and low-emission vans and trucks, as well as innovative-thinking to overcome challenges to decarbonising commercial vehicle operations.
Grundon general manager – logistics – John Stephens said: “We are delighted to have been shortlisted for this industry award and feel especially proud that we are the only representative from the waste sector.
“We are working hard to deliver a greener, cleaner collection fleet and by the end of the year will have six EVs in place, with more to follow during 2024.”
Grundon, which set up a depot in the St Philips area of Bristol two years ago, plans to convert more of its city fleet to eco-friendly fuel over the coming months, including waste lorries and skip vehicles run on a mixture of electric, hydrogen and technologies that are a hybrid of the two.
The move will also make Grundon’s Bristol fleet fully compliant with the city’s Clean Air Zone (CAZ), which came into force in November last year, as its other vehicles are already Euro 6 standard and so exempt from charges.
The CAZ was set up in the city centre in a bid to further improve air quality, cut carbon emissions and move towards zero emission travel.
Grundon, which was founded in 1929, has reduced its carbon emissions by 80% since 2000 through a series of measures, including an ongoing energy self-sufficiency programme and investment in state-of-the-art technologies.
The Berkshire-headquartered firm works with customers across the South of England to provide a total waste management service for the reduction, reuse, recycling, recovering and disposal of waste.
The GreenFleet Awards will take place at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire.
The Private Sector Commercial Fleet of the Year category was won last year by Bristol-based energy group OVO in recognition of electric vehicles making up two-thirds of its 1,000-plus fleet.
