AMP has secured $70 million in project debt financing led by Galvanize to construct an advanced sortation facility and an integrated organics processing system in Portsmouth, Virginia. Developed under a 20-year partnership with the Southeastern Public Service Authority (SPSA), the regional system is designed to process over 500,000 tons of municipal solid waste annually while diverting at least half of the processed material from landfills.

The initiative addresses the persistent inefficiencies of conventional municipal waste management, which traditionally struggles to recover materials from commingled streams without extensive consumer source-separation. Standard municipal solid waste infrastructures frequently lack the sorting precision and processing capacity needed to effectively capture recyclables and valorize organic fractions at scale, resulting in high landfill volumes and missed carbon reduction opportunities.

To resolve these operational bottlenecks, the project deploys AMP’s artificial intelligence technology, combining machine-vision cameras, advanced robotics, and pneumatic jets to automatically recover plastics, metals, fiber, and organic matter directly from raw municipal solid waste, including sealed trash bags. Furthermore, the adjacent organics facility utilizes indirect heating to convert recovered organic material into biocharBiochar is a carbon-rich material created from biomass decomposition in low-oxygen conditions. It has important applications in environmental remediation, soil improvement, agriculture, carbon sequestration, energy storage, and sustainable materials, promoting efficiency and reducing waste in various contexts while addressing climate change challenges. More, which will initially serve as daily landfill cover while establishing a technical baseline for construction and cement applications.

The implementation of this AI-driven infrastructure and biochar production system delivers multiple measurable outcomes for regional waste management and carbon accounting. The facilities are projected to guarantee a 20% recycling rate for SPSA—serving approximately 1.2 million residents across eight member communities—while generating verified carbon removal credits that support AMP’s agreement with Google to eliminate 200,000 metric tonnes of CO2e by 2030.