For Carling Spelhaug, director of corporate communications at AMP, it’s easy to feel connected to her work when she sees the impact that the company makes. Spelhaug points to AMP’s mission of improving the recycling industry as a core factor in employee engagement and company culture.
“Employee engagement at AMP has remained consistently strong and above industry norms, reflecting a workforce that believes in the mission and values the culture,” Spelhaug said.
The company specializes in recycling technology, like AMP ONE smart sorting tech, that identifies and sorts different types of recyclable materials and organic waste that can be converted to biochar, black carbon produced from biomass sources.
The team has their work cut out for them.
Plastic recycling rates have been cut in half since 2014, according to a new report from Greenpeace. The report also found that even at advanced recycling plants, only one-sixth could handle mixed waste sorting, while only 46 out of 380 recycling facilities could process plastics from a typical household. AMP recycling technology is designed to address both.
Built In spoke with Spelhaug about how working at a mission-driven company improves employee engagement and is the driving force behind the team’s innovative tech.
AMP is applying AI-powered sortation at scale to modernize the world's recycling infrastructure.
In one memorable line, how would you describe day-to-day satisfaction on your team?
At AMP, there's a strong sense of alignment around our mission, a contagious enthusiasm for what we're building and no shortage of complex problems worth solving.
“At AMP, there's a strong sense of alignment around our mission, a contagious enthusiasm for what we're building and no shortage of complex problems worth solving.”
Would you recommend working here — and what proof backs that up?
Yes. Employee engagement at AMP has remained consistently strong and above industry norms, reflecting a workforce that believes in the mission and values the culture. Just as importantly, the company continues to address employee feedback and invest in improvements that strengthen engagement and retention. The 2026 Denver Post Top Workplace recognition is another indication that employees see AMP as a place where they can do meaningful work and thrive.
How are you perceived externally right now and what signals support that?
AMP's external reputation has strengthened significantly over the past year as we've demonstrated that AI can operate waste and recycling infrastructure at a meaningful scale. One of the clearest signals was the finalization of AMP's long-term partnership with the Southeastern Public Service Authority, which positioned AMP as a trusted partner to a major public-sector waste authority and validated the company's ability to deliver regional infrastructure solutions, not just technology.
That evolution has been reflected in external recognition and media coverage. TIME named AMP ONE one of the Best Inventions of 2025, while coverage in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, Marketplace, BBC and Quartz increasingly focused on landfill diversion, circular economy outcomes and municipal waste infrastructure. Across hundreds of media placements over the last year, AMP was increasingly described as an operator of AI-powered waste infrastructure and a partner in modernizing waste systems. Together, customer adoption, public-sector partnerships, industry recognition and sustained positive coverage point to growing credibility and visibility in the market.
