Business recycling group CIRQLR, backed by leading infrastructure fund iCON Infrastructure (“iCON”), is pleased to support CIWM’s “Think Again” campaign spearheaded by its newly installed president Vicki Hughes, to attract greater numbers of highly skilled professionals from across industry into the recycling, waste and resources sector.
CIWM Think Again campaign, supported by CIRQLR
David Palmer-Jones OBE, CEO of CIRQLR, said: “Vicki’s leadership is wholeheartedly supported by CIRQLR and so many colleagues across the recycling and waste sector, in driving forward this vital campaign to both up-skill and upscale the people who will both future-proof our sector and enable the wider UK economy to adapt to, and benefit from greater circularity in how we manage our shared materials and natural capital.
At CIRQLR we have an overarching mission for own business and our customers to give waste a second life, and that can only be fulfilled if we have on board the right people, with the right skill sets, to do the right thing for our customers and our environment. We are already investing in upgrading our recycling infrastructure and further investment is only limited by the quality of people we can take on who share a vision for circular economic growth that CIWM champions on behalf of us all.
We are proud to play our part in helping CIWM form practical steps so that organisations within the recycling and waste sector can recruit, develop and retain the very best people. Increasingly our sector benefits from best-in-class talent drawn from other industry sectors so that we can constantly challenge ourselves in how we operate, which ultimately benefits a greater breadth and depth of customers and industries we can all serve."
As the CIWM notes, there is a human workforce capacity gap estimated to total around 68,000 in the £24bn recycling and resources sector if we are collectively to unleash £15bn of private sector investment being readied in order to meet demand over the next decade for higher recycling rates and greater resource recovery. There is growth in the business of remanufacturing.
CIRQLR, backed by iCON, has successfully undertaken a three-year buy and build journey to create one of the leading people-led business recycling organisations across the East and South of England, underpinned by a depth and breadth of local knowledge serving commercial and industrial customers.
Whilst undergoing a period of further integration and investment to modernise some of the group’s recycling infrastructure and harness greater synergies using cutting edge data analytics, CIRQLR continues to expand its operational reach within CIRQLR’s chosen geographies
Notes to editors
CIRQLR, Communications Contact : James Rossiter, 07985 117887, james@jdrconsultants.co.uk
The recent Integration of internal infrastructure across CIRQLR’s Southern Division and the creation of a new MD and FD for that Division will benefit all the customers of Cox, Chambers and Wilrose Environmental across Surrey, Sussex and more broadly from central London down to the coast and westwards along the M4 to M3 corridors. Read more here https://cirqlr.co.uk/cirqlr-news/cirqlr-strengthens-southern-division-leadership-with-two-senior-hires
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 mission of giving waste a second life for all the 16,000 commercial and industrial customers we support is firmly on track.
As a group we are expanding our reach across the UK and deepen our processing capacity, meaning CIRQLR can now double the recycling materials it handles each year on behalf of customers regionally and nationally from the current 600,000 tonnes to over one million tonnes of materials.
CIRQLR today has 19 recycling facilities and is poised to invest in more infrastructure and over time double its current total of over 600 staff.
With Government pulling all the right regulatory levers to usher in a more circular economy, CIRQLR is primed to assist businesses across industry sectors who approach us every week for help in improving their sustainability goals.
Nine leading regional business recycling and waste management operators have joined CIRQLR in the three years since its formation, backed by iCON Infrastructure LLP (“iCON”), and further expansion continues, providing market-leading coverage to the whole of the UK from its strong base across the East, South and Midlands areas of England.
CIRQLR’s network of integrated subsidiaries by acquisition date:
SWS joined 26/9/25; 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
Better data management is at the heart of CIRQLR’s ongoing 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.
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 is an award-winning, independent 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.
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. Our people are proud to do the right thing, helping business customers reduce waste sent to landfill with solutions that care for the environment.
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