JobsAndCareersWithSarahWillingham2016 - 222

PROMOTION

DON'T WASTE
YOUR TALENTS!
Interested in a job in environmental solutions?
We get an insight from one site manager

L

eon Shepherd, 39, is an MRF
(material recovery facility)
manager at Grundon. Leon
joined the company in 2008,
but his way into the profession
was far from conventional.

'At school, I wanted to be a mechanic,'
says Leon. 'Sadly, that didn't materialise.
I worked as a fishmonger, a butcher and a
baker at Tesco, and for a stone masonry
company. But I wanted something else.
'In 2008, my now-wife spotted an advert
for MRF operatives at Grundon. I didn't
even know what that was! I did some
research online and asked an uncle who
also happened to work for Grundon. The
two words that got me hooked were 'mobile
plant' - in other words, Tonka toys!
'I went down to look at the site, saw the
plant - and I was hooked. I applied for the
job and was lucky enough to be accepted.
'The lesson I learned is that it's very hard
to decide what you want to do at the age
of 15 or 16. It took me until I was 30 to
realise what I wanted to do. My career may
have started late but I'm very proud of what

I've achieved in a small space of time.'
Leon now manages four MRF operatives, a
weighbridge operator and a supervisor.
Anyone starting at Grundon as an MRF
operative will spend their first few months
training with the various plant machinery,
working up from the smaller machines.
You could be moving materials or sorting
through them to find any recoverable
items, aluminium, metals, cardboard,
plastics and so on.

ABOUT US

Grundon is the UK's largest family-owned
supplier of integrated waste management
and environmental solutions. Founded in
1929, and operating across the south of
England, its distinctive approach helps it
maintain a leading position in the industry,
underpinned by a commitment to quality of
service, innovation and technical progress.
Grundon offers a total waste management
service, including the collection, treatment,
recovery, recycling and disposal of nonhazardous waste, as well as dealing with
all aspects of hazardous waste. It owns
a fleet of purpose-built collection vehicles,
plus a range of state-of-the-art treatment
facilities. Grundon is also active in the
extraction and production of aggregates
and minerals for the construction, leisure
and landscaping markets.

Career growth
There are lots of opportunities to progress
your career at Grundon. The company
invests in training and runs an internal
programme, Grow@Grundon, which enables
employees to achieve their full potential.
Grundon operates from eight depots
around the M4/M40 corridor and run a
carbon neutral fleet of 491 vehicles. As
a complete waste management company,
Grundon can offer a wide and varied
range of career options. All vacancies are
posted on the website and you can apply
directly for roles online.

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit www.grundon.com/
WorkingforGrundon
Email hr@grundon.com
http://www.grundon.com/
JobsAndCareersWithSarahWillingham2016

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