September 2020: CIRCON’s Four Rs
What's News
As we enter into a new season, approaching the end of what's been perhaps the most unpredictable year ever, we're focused on making sure our customers know exactly what to expect when they choose to work with CIRCON.
CIRCON's foundation—and every service it provides—is built on our company's four Rs: recover, recycle, repurpose, results. They're the core of CIRCON's mission to create a better industry, a better world, and a better way to serve our customers, all by minimizing waste and embracing the circular economy.
Of the four Rs, “Recycle” is perhaps the most integral to the work we do here at CIRCON. In the past five years, we've recycled 500 million gallons of water, and have sent 58 million gallons of waste-derived fuel to power cement kilns. Those kinds of figures position CIRCON as an industry leader when it comes to sustainable solutions.
It's because of our proprietary technology and products that we're able to stay so far ahead of the pack when it comes to our recycling efforts.
The CIRCON Box is our newest piece of machinery, a double-walled container that's helped to create a renewed energy at our Baypark TSDF: we're now able to offer more sustainable options for containerized waste, bulking and blending materials more efficiently to recover and recycle components of value.
In fact, in August alone, the Baypark TSDF was able to send 136 tons of CIRCON refuel (our own waste-derived fuel) to power cement kilns. That's enough to displace:
- 68 tons of coal
- prevent 68 tons of residual ash from being landfilled
- provide 490 tons of carbon offset
- conserve 2,400 gallons of water that would otherwise be required for container washouts
Additionally, this facility recycled:
- 900 pounds of metals
- 14,000 pounds of oil filters and debris
- nearly 4,000 gallons of water
In total, our facility was able to recycle a significant 60 percent of all materials that came in.
Less waste, plenty of value. That's good for your business—and for the environment. CIRCON provides a better way, and a better choice.
Did You Know?
The circular economy is built on the practice of treating all resources, including waste, as materials of value and use. CIRCON's four Rs are essential to the idea of the circular economy: We identify waste streams that may still contain value, recover and aggregate these materials, recycle their various components, and give them new life, repurposing them as waste-derived fuels or blended fuels that can be used to power other sectors of the industry.
It's been just over a year since CIRCON formed, built on the combined strength of industry-leading teams at STC and Intergulf. And while that year has been one of challenges, it's also been one of great team spirit and growth here at CIRCON. The four Rs, the roots of our company, have sprouted eight pillars of sustainability: waste designation, carbon footprint, water conservation, zero landfill, recycle and reclaim, waste to energy, transportation optimization, and containerized waste. They're all areas of strength at CIRCON, parts of our business that can be measured and quantified to demonstrate the success of our fight for a greener tomorrow.
As we look forward, we're focused on sharing this message of growth with customers, potential new clients, and the industry at large. We're tracking an increasing number of statistics and results, and they speak for themselves—which is why customers including Valero, Marathon, Phillips 66, and ExxonMobil have cited our statistics in their own sustainability reports. We're looking ahead to future growth, knowing that we're grounded by a solid foundation.
Three Questions with Wendy Mason
Wendy Mason is CIRCON's Director of Business Development, and joined our team this past spring, bringing with her 20 years of experience in sales and business development, including nearly ten years of National Account industrial waste and recycling experience with companies including Republic Services and Stericycle. Wendy is passionate about CIRCON's mission to build a greener tomorrow, and she's focused on making sure the company moves forward as one unified team.
You've built a distinguished career in a male-dominated industry—what's it like being a female leader in the space?
I grew up with three brothers. I'm not intimidated by who's in the room. I know my strengths. If you can bring more to the table than the person sitting next to you, you will find success. I've been the only female at a table of 10 people, and I very quickly put myself out there, insert myself into the conversation, and make sure that what I say is valid and contributing. Take emotion out of it, and be comfortable to say “that's not my area of expertise” when you don't have all the knowledge—that's ok. It's a matter of knowing what you bring and being secure in it.
How do you feel about CIRCON's sustainability mission, and how does it impact the company's place in the market?
Sustainability is my passion. If you look at my LinkedIn or ever hear me talk about CIRCON, I'm constantly saying, “We're part of the circular economy! We care about sustainability!” I live by the 4 R's now - recover, recycle, repurpose and results. That's CIRCON's message and that's where we are focusing our conversations with our clients. Helping them achieve their sustainability goals - not just with oils and waste waters, but with their containerized business as well. We have inhouse fuel blending capabilities which gives us the opportunity to recycle rags, oily debris, filters, used oils, metals, and plastics, and use them as components of CIRCON's blended fuels. It's a game changer!
What are some of the biggest opportunities for CIRCON as we head toward 2021?
The individual companies that came together to form CIRCON, each had such a great reputation in their field. The clientele is amazing, the reputation is great, the sales reps are well known and loved. All of these pieces are spectacular, and will only keep getting better under the umbrella of CIRCON. Strategically, we're working on making all those pieces just a little more cohesive, building stronger bridges to help all teams and departments work together and share knowledge.In a time where many companies find themselves struggling, we are committed to investing in our people. Providing them with better tools to improve external and internal communication allowing us to become ONE CIRCON. We're stronger together, and we're stronger selling together.