Business recycling group CIRQLR has brought on board to its senior leadership team Gareth Lewis as chief operating officer who brings more than 15 years recycling and waste management experience, driving sustainable growth by transforming the delivery of critical services to customers on their own journeys to greater circularity.
Gareth brings to CIRQLR his operational track record in the management of clients’ waste streams, in previous similar board level leadership over the past decade including most recently Enva, as Managing Director of their recycling segregation and collections business in Nottingham. Gareth was previously group sales marketing director at Orbis, which managed vacant land across a range of industrial sectors. Gareth spent four years before that on the executive board at Safetykleen, helping with customer-focused growth at the specialist chemical cleaning and environmental solutions company. His fast-track career in operational and financial management was forged over six years at Regus/IWG, delivering exceptional service and projects throughout the UK.
Tristan Drinkwater has joined CIRQLR as the business recycling group’s new IT director, bringing 20 years of leadership in transformative technology and data driven change to help a range of complex businesses integrate and improve their commercial operations. Tristan joins CIRQLR after over five years at Jersey Post where he was global head of IT Service Delivery and he brings the expertise developed there producing an internal technological infrastructure capable of providing real-time data tracking and analysis of customers’ trading patterns.
Tristan brings to CIRQLR the transferable skills garnered from Jersey Post’s transformation from a regional postal operator into a global logistics company, which relied on Tristan’s build out of an innovative, robust, tailor-made IT infrastructure. Prior to Jersey Post, Tristan spent over 12 years technology distributor Exertis UK as an IT systems and business analyst, partnering with a range of companies across UK industry sectors nationwide drive their business growth through the better use of integrative technology packages.
Gareth Lewis, Chief Operating Officer, said: “This is a unique time for growth and development at CIRQLR on behalf of our customers across a wide range of industry sectors. Businesses want to address the transformations already underway as the Government pulls the levers to create a more circular economy. Our task is to help customers better manage their resources across their supply chains, both what goes out the gate and ultimately what comes in, and I am delighted to join CIRQLR on our shared journey of growth to help customers improve their bottom line and carbon footprints.
We will continue to maintain the independence of our regional operator brands in recycling and waste management and work is underway to deepen the very best we already offer for local business recycling solutions while expanding our national offerings for larger customers with more complex resource management needs. Better data management is at the heart of CIRQLR’s growth and integration as we continue to listen to customers and address their resource management needs as we progress into the next quartile of this century.”
Tristan Drinkwater, IT director at CIRQLR, added: “Joining CIRQLR allows me to bring the very best learning and hands-on experience in creating transformative structural technological change perfected in the logistics industry to the recycling and waste management industry, which is itself undergoing seismic change as businesses undergo a radical rethink in the way they have to manage all their resources.
CIRQLR customers increasingly expect to understand in real time what is happening to the materials that flow through their supply chains and we can rapidly adapt our IT systems to that new circular mindset, as a relatively new business recycling group led by highly adaptable commercial managers who understand clients both on a very local and national level.”
David Palmer-Jones OBE, CEO and founder of CIRQLR, commented on the appointments: “The arrival of Gareth and Tristan provide an extra depth of senior management, experience and vitality to our group leadership as we transform the power of over 600 CIRQLR staff for the benefit of our business customers. They have joined CIRQLR as we undergo a step change in the way we as a group of eight leading regional operators work together to help over 15,000 customers live up to our mission of giving waste a second life.
CIRQLR’s integration and regional growth in recycling, waste and materials resource management continues. This Government is offering tremendous leadership in driving economic growth and delivering more green jobs with a clear vision to deliver on more circular principles as it drives forward with its modern industrial strategy, underpinned by regulatory changes underway that are changing the way all businesses must manage their waste and materials. We at CIRQLR are rising to meet the opportunity this administration is offering so that businesses of all sizes and across sectors can meet their potential as they manage increasingly complex resource needs.”
Eight leading regional business recycling and waste management operators have joined CIRQLR in the two and half years since its formation and further expansion continues.
Led by industry veteran David Palmer-Jones OBE and supported by funds exclusively advised by iCON Infrastructure LLP, CIRQLR has quickly established itself as scale player in the commercial and industrial waste sector in just two years, and now serves over 15,000 customers, handing 600,000 tonnes of recycling materials every year with annualised turnover of £150m.
CIRQLR is investing for growth through a combination of further bolt on acquisitions, capital investment in new infrastructure and developing its people in response to new Government recycling regulation. CIRQLR today has 19 recycling facilities and is poised to invest in more infrastructure and over time double its current 600 staff.
CIRQLR is focused on increasing recycling for business customers and helping the UK secure its materials supply chain. CIRQLR is supported by funds exclusively advised by iCON Infrastructure LLP (“iCON”). iCON is an award-winning, independent investment firm that makes long-term investments in high-quality infrastructure businesses across Europe and North America.
CIRQLR, Communications Contact
James Rossiter 07985117887; james@jdrconsultants.co.uk
Notes to editors
At CIRQLR we help all manner of organisations, large or small, achieve a shared mission to “give waste a second life.” We reduce waste, boost recycling rates and extract greater resource value from the materials our customers consume and dispose of. There is excellence in all we do. CIRQLR’s Journey
CIRQLR’s network of integrated subsidiaries by acquisition date:
Chambers Waste Management joined 31/3/25, Cox Group joined 01/07/23, KP Waste including Eco joined 31/10/24 Select joined 31/10/24, Ellgia including Bakers joined 19/04/24, Wilrose joined 01/04/24, Castle Environmental joined 24/02/23 CIRQLR’s Network
By giving waste a second life, CIRQLR will reduce the economy’s over-reliance on imports, stabilise material supply and create the green jobs we all need. Find out more Solutions
CIRQLR is supported by funds exclusively advised by iCON Infrastructure LLP, the award-winning independent infrastructure investment firm that makes long-term investments in high-quality infrastructure businesses across Europe and North America. iCON Infrastructure LLP is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.