AMP, Waste Connections partner to process 62,000 tons of single-stream recycling at Colorado facility

AMP has signed a deal with Waste Connections to equip and operate one of Waste Connections' next-generation recycling facilities. Located in Commerce City, Colorado, the facility is scheduled for commissioning in early 2026. 

The Waste Connections facility will feature an AMP ONE system and leverage AMP Smart Sortation to optimize the processing of up to 62,000 tons of single-stream recycling annually. Through its provision of AMP Smart Sortation, AMP will operate and maintain the system. The facility will be fully integrated with AMP's AI which will enable the automated sorting of single-stream recycling, extraction of targeted commodities, and production of custom feedstock blends. 

"AMP's innovative design, enabled by its technology, allows the company to offer us a competitive package for achieving our goals in the region," said Mark Ceresa, division vice president for Waste Connections. "The system is flexible to our scale, sorting, and Extended Producer Responsibility compliance needs, and can adapt as our commodity needs and waste stream changes. AMP offers us a unique way to enter this market, by guaranteeing these capabilities on a pay-per-ton contract." 

The AMP ONE system will deliver high recovery rates with guaranteed performance, process certain material streams autonomously, and improve its throughput capacity over time with regular software updates. The system leverages continuous AI material and purity monitoring and sorting, replacing multiple screens to provide operational flexibility. This design allows the system to respond to problems, such as detecting jams or drops in performance, and optimize itself in real time.

"We've shown a higher level of performance is achievable when the capabilities of AI are built in at the facility level," said Tim Stuart, chief executive officer of AMP. "Waste Connections' adoption of facility-scale sortation is a milestone for the industry. This is a facility that delivers on the true potential of recycling, and we couldn't be more delighted to be doing this with our Waste Connections partners." 

In 2020, AMP and Waste Connections entered into a long-term agreement to deploy 24 of AMP's AI-guided robotics systems on container, fibre, and residue lines across numerous Waste Connections MRFs. In 2022, Waste Connections and AMP expanded their partnership with Waste Connections' deployment of more than 50 of AMP's systems.