Divert Opens North Carolina Facility To Turn Unsold Food Into RNG
Divert Inc. has opened an Integrated Diversion & Energy Facility in Lexington, North Carolina, that converts unsold food that can no longer be donated into renewable natural gas (RNG), fertilizer, and recovered water. The facility is already producing RNG and injecting it directly into local pipeline infrastructure.
At full capacity, the facility can process up to 120,000 tons (109,000 metric tons) of unsold, non-donatable food per year from retailers, distribution centers, warehouses, and manufacturing sites. By the end of 2026, it is expected to serve more than 2500 retail grocery locations and 20 retail distribution centers across the Southeast, along with food byproducts and residuals from food manufacturers and other businesses.
“North Carolina represents the fourth largest food and beverage industry in the United States and ranks eighth nationally in agricultural production,” said Ryan Begin, chief executive officer and co-founder of Divert. “This makes Lexington an ideal location for advancing circularity in our food system, and this facility will allow us to serve more businesses, keep more food out of landfills, and recover valuable resources that can be put back to productive use.”
Harris Teeter is the facility’s anchor customer, and the facility will support all of the grocer’s locations. It will also serve select locations for Publix, UNFI, and other customers.
“At Harris Teeter, our purpose is to enrich lives, one meal, one family, one associate, and one community at a time,” said Danna Robinson, director of corporate affairs and customer relations at Harris Teeter. “We believe food serves its highest purpose when it is feeding people. When food can no longer be donated, our partnership with Divert helps us find a productive use for it, reducing waste and protecting the value of food across the communities we serve.”
Divert’s facilities use anaerobic digestion to break down food waste and capture biogas, which is upgraded to pipeline-quality RNG. Alongside RNG, the Lexington facility produces Divert Food-Derived Fertilizers for regional agriculture, including organic options listed by the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI), and it recovers water from the food for use in facility operations. Divert also gives customers data to help them prevent waste and increase donations before food reaches the facility.
The Lexington site, a 28-acre (11.3-ha) parcel Divert announced in 2024, is part of the company’s vertically integrated Circularity Platform, in which Divert develops, owns, and operates regional infrastructure. It follows the opening of a Divert facility in Longview, Washington, earlier in 2026. Divert’s expansion is backed in part by a US$1 billion infrastructure development agreement it signed with Enbridge in 2023 to develop wasted-food-to-RNG facilities across North America. Divert is a portfolio company of Ara Partners.
“This facility will reduce food waste and create renewable natural gas, helping our state power its future,” said North Carolina Governor Josh Stein. “North Carolina is a leader in innovation and the clean energy economy, and I am pleased to welcome Divert Inc. to be part of our thriving business and energy ecosystem.”
