AMP enhances mixed-waste sorting in Virginia with RDS acquisition

AMP has expanded its operations with the acquisition of the Portsmouth operations of RDS of Virginia. RDS Portsmouth has been providing recycling services in South Hampton Roads since 2005.

​Since late 2023, AMP has operated an AI-powered AMP ONE system to cost-effectively process locally sourced municipal solid waste (MSW) in Portsmouth. The system is capable of handling up to 150 tons of MSW per day, separating recyclables and organic material from bagged trash with an uptime of over 90 percent — reliable for large-scale, economically viable mixed-waste sorting.

Equipped with this technology, the facility is capable of diverting more than 50 percent of landfill-bound material when paired with organics management and mixed recyclables sorting systems. In addition to the MSW processing facility, RDS Portsmouth's operations also include a single-stream facility, which AMP plans to expand in the near future.

"We're focused on enabling a new model for the processing of municipal solid waste, and we see the success of our operations in Portsmouth as a blueprint for municipalities across the country looking to extend the life of their landfills and reach ambitious diversion targets," said Tim Stuart, CEO of AMP. "As we grow, we'll continue to evaluate potential acquisitions that would enable the processing of more tonnage by our systems and further demonstrate the impact of our technology on waste economics."

Joe Benedetto, former president of RDS Portsmouth, added, "I'm proud of the company my team and I built over the last two decades, and I'm excited to see how AMP builds on that foundation. Extracting recyclables and organic material from MSW is capturing more of the value in our waste, which is critical with communities shuttering recycling programs due to increasing costs. The way AMP is processing MSW here in Portsmouth shows what's possible with cutting-edge technology."