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Veolia comparison

Veolia comparison: Capital Recycle vs Veolia for commercial waste in London

Veolia comparison: Capital Recycle vs Veolia on what a business asks before it signs: where they collect, what containers they supply, how the charges are structured, how fast they start, what the published terms say, and who issues the paperwork. Every statement about Veolia is taken from its own published pages and dated. We are the other company on this page, so weigh what we say accordingly.
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Who this comparison is for

A business in London with one site, or a handful, that puts out pre-paid sacks or runs one to four wheelie bins. If you manage a large estate, several sites around the country, or industrial streams, Veolia's scale answers that better than we can.

The two companies

Veolia in the UK trades as Veolia ES (UK) Limited, a subsidiary of the listed Veolia Environnement SA, with UK headquarters at 210 Pentonville Road, London. It states 80,000 commercial customers, 400 operational sites and 15,000 employees in the UK, and ISO 14001 certification. Its London commercial page offers general waste, mixed recycling, glass and food collection with a free waste audit and quotation, and describes "a full cradle to grave service as standard". Veolia also runs the commercial waste service for Camden, the City of London and Westminster councils, which is a separate route from its direct service. Its own pages: veolia.co.uk (nofollow).
Capital Recycle Ltd is a London commercial waste collector with 250+ active customers, rated ★4.8 on Trustpilot. We collect sacks and bins across central London and the WD postcodes on our caged tippers, start within 24 to 48 hours from sack stock we hold ourselves, and issue the annual Waste Transfer Note for every stream we collect. Upper Tier waste carrier CBDU466346. £5m public liability.

Veolia features and services, side by side

Capital RecycleVeolia (as published, read 2 Nov 2026)
London coverageCentral London and the WD postcodes; collection frequency agreed per siteA London commercial page with an enquiry form; borough or postcode list for its direct sack and bin service not published. Council commercial services run by Veolia in Camden, the City of London and Westminster
SacksPre-paid general waste and mixed recycling sacks, priced per sack by weekly volume; delivered from stock we holdOffered; sizes and weight limits published per area, not on the London page
Bins240, 360, 660 and 1100 litre; one fixed monthly figure per bin, no rental line, no environmental levy, no fuel surchargeGeneral waste, mixed recycling, glass and food bins; sizes published per area (140 to 1,280 litre across its area pages)
How pricing is structuredSacks per sack by volume; bins one monthly figure per bin; the agreement shows every line before you signQuote-led after a free waste audit; "Solutions to Fit Your Budget"
How to startPhone or form; service starts within 24 to 48 hours; sacks from our own stock, bins on the agreed start dateEnquiry form or 0203 9916 218; lead time to first collection not published
Term and notice12-month agreement that renews unless you give 60 days' notice before the renewal date, or a rolling monthly option at a higher rate that you can end any month. The agreement is sent before you commitMinimum term, notice period and exit terms for a London sack or bin customer are not published on its site; ask for them in writing before you sign
Waste Transfer NoteAnnual WTN Service, £65 + VAT per stream, issued and renewed by usNot described on the London page
Diversion claim98% diversion from landfillNot stated on the London page
CertificationsUpper Tier carrier CBDU466346; £5m public liabilityISO 14001 (environmental policy, March 2025)
Missed collectionCall 0207 101 4003 and speak to the person who runs the roundCustomer Hub (24/7), existing-customer form, or 0345 606 0460; recovery time not published
Changing a bin or a frequencyLike-for-like bin swap on 24 hours' notice, no crossover periodThrough the Customer Hub or account team, per its support page
Public reviewsTrustpilot ★4.8Trustpilot, linked in the sources

Choose Veolia if

  • You have sites across the UK, or a large estate, and want one supplier and one account for all of them.
  • You are in Camden, the City of London or Westminster and prefer the council's commercial waste route, which Veolia operates.
  • You need industrial, hazardous or large-volume streams alongside bins.
  • You want a waste audit before you buy anything.

Choose Capital Recycle if

If you want a collection that turns up on the day it is booked, and a team you can reach when something needs sorting, choose Capital Recycle.
  • You want a missed or late collection sorted by a person who can act: a call to 0207 101 4003 reaches the person who runs your round, not a ticket queue or a call centre that cannot contact the driver.
  • You have one London site, or a few, with sacks or one to four bins.
  • You want the bins on site before the first collection, not weeks after the order: sacks from our own stock within 24 to 48 hours, bins delivered on the agreed start date.
  • You want the bin price to be the whole price: one fixed monthly figure, no rental line, no levy, no fuel surcharge, so there is no lift count on the invoice to argue over.
  • You want the notice terms in front of you before you sign, not discovered on the way out: 12 months, 60 days' notice before the renewal date, and a reminder from us 90 days before it.
  • You want us to issue and renew the Waste Transfer Note, so the paperwork a landlord or auditor asks for is already there.

How switching works

  1. Check the notice window on your current agreement first. The window, not the new supplier, decides when you can move.
  2. Tell us your postcode, the containers you use and your weekly volume. We confirm a start date within 24 to 48 hours.
  3. We deliver sacks or bins on the agreed date. If you are moving from bins, the new bins go in as the old ones go out; there is no period with two sets on site.
  4. We issue the Waste Transfer Note for each stream at the start, then renew it annually.
The full checklist is in our guide: How to switch commercial waste provider.

Common questions

What are Veolia's notice terms?

Not published on its site for a London sack or bin customer, as read on 2 November 2026. Ask for the agreement in writing and read the term, renewal and notice clauses before you sign, with any supplier.

Is the council service the same as Veolia's direct service?

No. In Camden, the City of London and Westminster, Veolia operates the council's commercial waste service under the council's terms. Its direct service is a separate agreement with Veolia.

Sacks or bins?

Sacks suit a site with no storage and a small daily volume. Bins suit a site with a bin store and steady volume. Our guide on bags or bins for commercial waste covers the trade-offs.

Do you cover my postcode?

Central London and the WD postcodes. Call 0207 101 4003 with your postcode and we will tell you straight away.

How long is your agreement?

12 months as standard, renewing unless you give 60 days' notice before the renewal date, or rolling monthly at a higher rate. You see the agreement before you sign.

Who do I call if a collection is missed?

0207 101 4003. You speak to the person who runs the round.

Who published this

Capital Recycle Ltd wrote this page. We compete with Veolia for sack and bin customers in London, so read it as one competitor writing about another. We are an agile, independent London collector with our own caged tippers and our own sack stock. Everything we say about Veolia comes from its own published pages, listed below with the date we read them, and we have not quoted any Veolia price. Our carrier registration CBDU466346 is on the public register, so check us as well.
Facts checked 2 November 2026.

Sources