Solid Waste Facility in Virginia Employs AI Technology to Manage Waste Sorting

A municipal solid waste (MSW) facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, is utilizing an AMP ONE system, which is an automated system for extract-mixed recyclables and organic materials for further processing without reliance on manual labor. AMP’s artificial intelligence (AI) platform enables its vision systems to identify recyclables in highly contaminated streams.

The RDS (Recycling and Disposal Solutions) facility is currently processing 150 tons per day of local MSW with over 90% uptime. Designed to be co-located with landfills and transfer stations, the AMP ONE system separates bagged trash into its component parts of mixed recyclables, organics and residue. Equipped with this technology, the RDS facility is capable of diverting more than 60% of landfill-bound material when paired with organics management and mixed recyclables sorting systems. According to AMP, MSW diversion meaningfully extends the life of landfills, reduces their environmental impact and keeps disposal costs low. 

“We’ve designed technology that’s resilient to contamination and can more easily go after dirtier material streams. We see the success of the facility in Portsmouth as a blueprint for other municipalities looking to extend the life of their landfills and reach ambitious diversion targets,” says Matanya Horowitz, AMP founder and CEO. “Given that recycling rates have been stagnant over the last decade, this presents a new opportunity to expand recycling — one that works for existing waste infrastructure assets,” .

Joe Benedetto, president of RDS adds: “At RDS, we’ve been early and enthusiastic adopters of advanced technologies to increase recovery and landfill diversion, drive down processing costs for local governments and generate data for continuous facility improvement.”

In 2023, RDS completed a new 33,000-square-foot building at its site in Portsmouth, which has provided local recycling services since 2005. RDS installed an AMP ONE system and began processing MSW in the facility in late 2023. RDS also operates facilities in Roanoke, Virginia; Greenville, North Carolina; and Athens, Georgia.