About us

I founded Circular North Advisory after a round of redundancy at the large engineering consultancy I was working in led me to believe there was a better way to work in circular economy, and that is as a small independent consultancy.

 

My entry into the world of circularity came in 2015 when I joined the Veolia Graduate Development Programme. After two years rotating through the business, I became a recycling process engineer responsible for MRF process performance and upgrades. I worked with site managers, operators and vendors to assess process performance and develop business cases. I also modelled future waste flows, conducted feasibility studies for new materials, and ran trials on new process methods. Wanting to explore circularity more broadly, I joined AECOM as a Waste & Resources Consultant, working on a broad range of projects for local government, industrial and infrastructure organisations. I've run projects such as strategic reviews of waste infrastructure, waste & circular economy action plans, research projects for DEFRA, and carbon reduction action plans. I enjoy engaging with stakeholders, challenging assumptions and working with teams to understand complex issues and produce impactful solutions. I am also a Chartered Waste Manager with CIWM.

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Circularity often starts with small steps, inspiration and chance conversations. As an independent consultant, I have the freedom to engage with those seeking to explore the circular economy with perhaps small steps at first, in order to build into something bigger and better for the future.

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If you have any waste questions or challenges, or just want to have a chat to discuss news or policy, I would love to hear from you.

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Fredrik Hjelset

January 2026