Bill Summary
The Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act of 2025 establishes a pilot grant program aimed at improving recycling accessibility, particularly in underserved communities. The Act designates the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator to oversee the program, which will provide competitive grants to eligible entities such as states, local governments, Indian tribes, and public-private partnerships.
Key components of the legislation include:
- **Definitions**: The Act defines terms related to recycling, such as curbside recycling, materials recovery facilities, and underserved communities.
- **Grant Program**: Within 18 months of enactment, the EPA will launch the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Program, focusing on funding projects that enhance recycling access through infrastructure development.
- **Funding Priorities**: Grants will prioritize projects in communities lacking adequate recycling services, particularly where there is limited access to materials recovery facilities.
- **Grant Specifications**: Funding amounts will range from $500,000 to $15 million, with at least 70% of the funds reserved for projects in underserved areas. The federal share of project costs can be up to 90%, with possible waivers for financial hardship.
- **Reporting Requirements**: The EPA must report to Congress on the program's implementation and its impact on recycling rates within two years of the first grant award.
- **Financial Authorization**: The legislation authorizes $30 million annually from 2025 to 2029 to support the pilot program, with a small portion allocated for administrative costs and technical assistance.
Overall, this legislation aims to enhance recycling infrastructure, making recycling services more accessible to communities that currently face barriers.
Possible Impacts
Here are three examples of how the "Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Act of 2025" could affect people:
1. **Improved Recycling Access in Underserved Communities**: The act aims to enhance recycling services in underserved communities, where access to recycling programs is currently limited. By funding infrastructure improvements, such as establishing more transfer stations or expanding curbside recycling collection, residents in these areas may find it easier to recycle. This could lead to increased participation in recycling programs, reducing waste sent to landfills and fostering a cleaner environment.
2. **Economic Opportunities Through Job Creation**: As eligible entities receive grants to improve recycling infrastructure, new jobs may be created in the construction, operation, and management of recycling facilities and transfer stations. This could provide employment opportunities for local residents, particularly in underserved communities where job prospects may be limited. Additionally, public-private partnerships encouraged by the legislation could stimulate local economies by attracting investment and innovation in recycling technologies and services.
3. **Enhanced Environmental Awareness and Community Engagement**: While the act does not allocate grant funds for recycling education programs, its focus on improving accessibility to recycling services could indirectly raise community awareness about the importance of recycling and environmental sustainability. As recycling options become more available, community members may engage more with recycling initiatives, leading to greater environmental consciousness and involvement in local sustainability efforts. This could ultimately foster a culture of environmental stewardship and responsibility within communities.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2145 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 2145
To establish a pilot grant program to improve recycling accessibility,
and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 14, 2025
Mrs. Miller-Meeks (for herself, Ms. Sherrill, Mr. Joyce of Ohio, Ms.
Tenney, and Ms. McClellan) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To establish a pilot grant program to improve recycling accessibility,
and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Recycling Infrastructure and
Accessibility Act of 2025''.
SEC. 2. RECYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE AND ACCESSIBILITY PROGRAM.
(a) Definitions.--In this section:
(1) Administrator.--The term ``Administrator'' means the
Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency.
(2) Curbside recycling.--The term ``curbside recycling''
means the process by which residential recyclable materials are
picked up curbside.
(3) Eligible entity.--The term ``eligible entity'' means--
(A) a State (as defined in section 1004 of the
Solid Waste Disposal Act (42 U.S.C. 6903));
(B) a unit of local government;
(C) an Indian Tribe; and
(D) a public-private partnership.
(4) Indian tribe.--The term ``Indian Tribe'' has the
meaning given the term in section 4 of the Indian Self-
Determination and Education Assistance Act (25 U.S.C. 5304).
(5) Materials recovery facility.--
(A) In general.--The term ``materials recovery
facility'' means a recycling facility where primarily
residential recyclables, which are diverted from
disposal by a generator and collected separately from
municipal solid waste, are mechanically or manually
sorted into commodities for further processing into
specification-grade commodities for sale to end users.
(B) Exclusion.--The term ``materials recovery
facility'' does not include a solid waste management
facility that may process municipal solid waste to
remove recyclable materials.
(6) Pilot grant program.--The term ``pilot grant program''
means the Recycling Infrastructure and Accessibility Program
established under subsection (b).
(7) Recyclable material.--The term ``recyclable material''
means obsolete, previously used, off-specification, surplus, or
incidentally produced material for processing into a
specification-grade commodity for which a market exists.
(8) Transfer station.--The term ``transfer station'' means
a facility that--
(A) receives and consolidates recyclable material
from curbside recycling or drop-off facilities; and
(B) loads the recyclable material onto tractor
trailers, railcars, or barges for transport to a
distant materials recovery facility or another
recycling-related facility.
(9) Underserved community.--The term ``underserved
community'' means a community, including an unincorporated
area, without access to full recycling services because--
(A) transportation, distance, or other reasons
render utilization of available processing capacity at
an existing materials recovery facility cost
prohibitive; or
(B) the processing capacity of an existing
materials recovery facility is insufficient to manage
the volume of recyclable materials produced by that
community.
(b) Establishment.--Not later than 18 months after the date of
enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall establish a pilot grant
program, to be known as the ``Recycling Infrastructure and
Accessibility Program'', to award grants, on a competitive basis, to
eligible entities to improve recycling accessibility in a community or
communities within the same geographic area.
(c) Goal.--The goal of the pilot grant program is to fund eligible
projects that will significantly improve accessibility to recycling
systems through investments in infrastructure in underserved
communities through the use of a hub-and-spoke model for recycling
infrastructure development.
(d) Applications.--To be eligible to receive a grant under the
pilot grant program, an eligible entity shall submit to the
Administrator an application at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the Administrator may require.
(e) Considerations.--In selecting eligible entities to receive a
grant under the pilot grant program, the Administrator shall consider--
(1) whether the community or communities in which the
eligible entity is seeking to carry out a proposed project has
curbside recycling;
(2) whether the proposed project of the eligible entity
will improve accessibility to recycling services in a single
underserved community or multiple underserved communities; and
(3) if the eligible entity is a public-private partnership,
the financial health of the private entity seeking to enter
into that public-private partnership.
(f) Priority.--In selecting eligible entities to receive a grant
under the pilot grant program, the Administrator shall give priority to
eligible entities seeking to carry out a proposed project in a
community in which there is not more than 1 materials recovery facility
within a 75-mile radius of that community.
(g) Use of Funds.--An eligible entity awarded a grant under the
pilot grant program may use the grant funds for projects to improve
recycling accessibility in communities, including in underserved
communities, by--
(1) increasing the number of transfer stations;
(2) expanding curbside recycling collection programs where
appropriate; and
(3) leveraging public-private partnerships to reduce the
costs associated with collecting and transporting recyclable
materials in underserved communities.
(h) Prohibition on Use of Funds.--An eligible entity awarded a
grant under the pilot grant program may not use the grant funds for
projects relating to recycling education programs.
(i) Minimum and Maximum Grant Amount.--A grant awarded to an
eligible entity under the pilot grant program shall be in an amount--
(1) not less than $500,000; and
(2) not more than $15,000,000.
(j) Set-Aside.--The Administrator shall set aside not less than 70
percent of the amounts made available to carry out the pilot grant
program for each fiscal year to award grants to eligible entities to
carry out a proposed project or program in a single underserved
community or multiple underserved communities.
(k) Federal Share.--
(1) In general.--Subject to paragraph (2), the Federal
share of the cost of a project or program carried out by an
eligible entity using grant funds shall be not more than 90
percent.
(2) Waiver.--The Administrator may waive the Federal share
requirement under paragraph (1) if the Administrator determines
that an eligible entity would experience significant financial
hardship as a result of that requirement.
(l) Report.--Not later than 2 years after the date on which the
first grant is awarded under the pilot grant program, the Administrator
shall submit to Congress a report describing the implementation of the
pilot grant program, which shall include--
(1) a list of eligible entities that have received a grant
under the pilot grant program;
(2) the actions taken by each eligible entity that received
a grant under the pilot grant program to improve recycling
accessibility with grant funds; and
(3) to the extent information is available, a description
of how grant funds received under the pilot grant program
improved recycling rates in each community in which a project
or program was carried out under the pilot grant program.
(m) Authorization of Appropriations.--
(1) In general.--There is authorized to be appropriated to
the Administrator to carry out the pilot grant program
$30,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2025 through 2029, to
remain available until expended.
(2) Administrative costs and technical assistance.--Of the
amounts made available under paragraph (1), the Administrator
may use up to 5 percent--
(A) for administrative costs relating to carrying
out the pilot grant program; and
(B) to provide technical assistance to eligible
entities applying for a grant under the pilot grant
program.
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