Need to separate trash and recycling to end by 2029 in much of Hampton Roads

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (WAVY) — Just throw it all in the trash bin.

By 2029, that can become the motto for most of Hampton Roads, as single-stream recycling replaces the currently separate trash bin/recycling bin disposal model.

Monday, the Southeastern Public Service Authority, or SPSA, voted unanimously to enter into 20-year contract with Colorado-based AMP Robotics Corporation to provide alternative waste disposal methods for the Southside's eight municipalities of: Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Franklin and the counties of Isle of Wight and Southampton.

Under the plan, all trash picked up from the curb will eventually head to one of AMP's two facilities in Portsmouth, where using cameras, robotics and artificial intelligence, or AI, recyclables and organic mater