November 12, 2026. Divert, Inc., a circular infrastructure company Protecting the Value of Food®, announced the opening of its new Integrated Diversion & Energy Facility in Lexington, North Carolina. The new facility transforms unsold food that can no longer be donated into renewable natural gas (RNG) to help power communities and fertilizer to support regional agriculture. The facility also recovers food-bound water to run its own operations and captures data to help customers prevent future waste.
Divert’s Lexington facility is expected to service over 2,500 retail grocery locations and 20 retail distribution centers across the region by the close of 2026. Additionally, the company will responsibly process unsold food, food byproducts, and residuals from food manufacturers and other businesses across the Southeast.
“The success of Divert’s Circularity Platform is driven by our employees and rooted in our customer base” said Ryan Begin, CEO and co-founder of Divert. “The strong customer relationships we have built over the past twenty years are what allow us to invest in regional infrastructure, including our new facility here in Lexington.”
At full capacity, the Lexington facility will be capable of processing up to 120,000 tons of unsold, non-donatable food annually from food retailers, distribution centers, warehouses, and manufacturing locations. Renewable natural gas, which is injected directly into local pipeline infrastructure, is already being produced at the Divert facility from unsold food in the area. The facility will also be capable of producing Divert® Food-Derived Fertilizers, including OMRI-listed organic options for use in organic food production. Divert’s technology also provides customers with actionable data to help prevent wasted food and increase donations before unsold food reaches the facility.
“This facility will reduce food waste and create renewable natural gas, helping our state power its future,” said 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.”
“North Carolina represents the fourth largest food and beverage industry in the United States and ranks eighth nationally in agricultural production,” added Begin. “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.”