Atlas acquisition boosts Circular Services’ organics reach

Circular Services recently acquired Atlas Organics, a prominent organics processor with eight composting facilities nationwide, further expanding its organics portfolio.

The acquisition follows Circular Services’ purchases of Quantum Organics and Blue Earth. It marks another step in the company’s broader strategy to build a full-service, nationwide platform capable of managing every major recyclable and organic material stream — from curbside collection through processing and product manufacturing.

Since its formation in November 2022, Circular Services has more than tripled its operational footprint, scaling to meet the growing demand for more economically and environmentally sustainable alternatives to landfills.

“We have done this by bringing together best-in-class recycling and organics operators, winning key commercial and municipal contracts and building state-of-the-art material recovery facilities to service new markets,” said Lauren Rodriguez, head of partnerships for Circular Services, majority owned and operated by Closed Loop Partners. “The acquisition of Atlas Organics is a continuation of this strategy to integrate best-in-class operators that share our mission of keeping valuable materials in circulation.”

With Atlas Organics now part of the portfolio, Circular Services operates more than 35 recycling and organics processing facilities across the United States. This includes rapidly growing markets, such as North Carolina, Florida and Texas, as well as its first foray into California, a regional leader in packaging and food waste recycling. 

“The Atlas sites are well aligned geographically to Circular Services’ current markets and complementary to our existing recycling and organics operations,” Rodriguez said. “We are now able to offer organics collection and processing services to additional customers in the Southeast and Southwest, complementing our services today in the Northeast. Our current recycling customers in Florida and Texas, for example, can now rely on us to provide high-quality, cost-competitive and transparent services for their food and green waste.”

Organic waste is the single largest waste stream in US landfills and is responsible for over half of landfill emissions, making it a priority material stream for diversion. 

Technology upgrades, facility expansions and equipment investments are planned across the newly combined facilities. Among the planned enhancements are additional locations equipped for de-packaging and secure food waste recycling, enabling customers to divert packaged and contaminated food products that would otherwise be routed to landfill. 

Circular Services also intends to build out new capacity for producing high-quality bagged products such as compost, soils and mulches, helping transform organic material into valuable end-products that can be used in agriculture, landscaping and land restoration.

“As an operating company, Circular Services aims to be the long-term provider of holistic materials management for our customers,” Rodriguez said. “Our goal is to expand our offerings of organic waste management to all Circular Services customers. We will continue to grow via expansion of our current facilities and are always excited to explore potential partnerships.”