This summer marks a major milestone for Greener Ealing Ltd (GEL) as we celebrate five years of delivering vital environmental services for the London Borough of Ealing.
Established in July 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, GEL took over a service with serious performance challenges. During this extraordinary time, we set out with a clear mission: to raise standards, build a motivated workforce, and create a cleaner, greener borough for everyone.
“We inherited a service with serious performance issues during an unprecedented time. Today, the difference is remarkable, not just in the quality of the service, but in the people behind it. We’ve built a strong, motivated workforce, and that cultural shift has been at the heart of our progress.” Kevin O’Leary, Managing Director
Raising Standards, Delivering Results
Since day one, we’ve worked hard to improve service quality across waste collection, street cleansing, and grounds maintenance. The results speak for themselves – with customer complaints dropping by more than 99% between 2019 and 2024.
People First: Our Culture and Values
At the heart of our success is our people. GEL’s success has been built on the belief that ‘employee engagement drives performance’. Our workforce strategy, launched in our first month, focused on fairness, transparency and support, underpinned by our 4Cs values: Customer-first, Caring, Committed, Collaborative.
Staff satisfaction now consistently exceeds 70%, with feedback from our staff survey that the team feels valued and trusted. We’ve raised pay above the London Living Wage, introduced apprenticeships and clear career development and built a culture where every employee has the tools and support they need to do their best work.
Growing with Purpose
Following our success in delivering quality environmental services, we were awarded the Parking Enforcement contract, and in April 2024, proudly welcomed over 60 new colleagues to our frontline workforce. This smooth transition, the positive integration of the team, and significant improvements in parking management in the borough were another step in GEL’s evolution as a high-performing service provider.
Safe, Sustainable, Ready for the Future
The backdrop to all these changes and achievements is GEL’s commitment to the health and safety of its workforce, achieving ISO certification as a mark of excellence in this area within just three years. But it’s about more than compliance: it’s about creating a culture of openness, trust and shared responsibility.
With over 200 frontline vehicles and 300 plant items, the company is constantly working to reduce its environmental footprint, including a 7.9% CO₂ reduction and the introduction of hybrid and electric vehicles. All of GEL’s 400-plus staff uniforms are now made from 100% recycled materials, saving emissions and contributing to a greener operation.
Community Impact
Looking back over the past five years, beyond service improvements and a transformed culture, one of our proudest achievements is our deep involvement in the local community. We’ve built strong, meaningful relationships with organisations like Mind Food, LAGER Can, and the Ealing Half Marathon.
A standout partnership is with Springhallow Post-16 College for young adults with autism. Through mentoring, work experience, and ongoing support on their grounds, we’ve proudly been named their ‘Employer and Supporter of the Year’ – four years running.
What’s next?
Looking ahead, we’re excited to expand into new commercial services including vehicle maintenance, event cleansing and grounds maintenance work – all delivered with the same care, quality and pride that have defined our first five years.
Thank you to our staff, partners, and community for your support and hard work. Here’s to the next five years – and beyond.